SOME YEARS AGO then Prime Minister Owen Arthur raised the issue of Barbados becoming a republic. It seemed like full steam ahead at that time, but it came to a rather sudden halt.
Now, it is back on the national agenda, with people from Prime Minister Freundel Stuart to historians such as Trevor Marshall and political scientist Dr Cynthia Barrow-Giles and social commentators all weighing in on the issue.
The one certain thing is that both of the major political parties, the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party are in general agreement with the idea of the country having a non-executive republican form of government. Really it is about how gets to do it and their legacy.
But there ought to be more from the leadership of either the DEMS or the BEES on this issue. The DEMS already have their place on history’s page having been the party to take the island into political independence. The BEES want a taste of this type of glory. But time seems to favour the DEMS, once again.
However, if either of these political organisations are looking beyond the party’s legacy and that of their leaders and truly want to make an indelible mark on the island’s political landscape, then they must strive for much more. The mere shift from the monarchy to a parliamentary republican form of governance will not achieve anything significant.
There is a clear need for Parliamentary Reform which should go in tandem with any shift to a republican system of government.
The political stability Barbados enjoys needs to be entrenched. But we need to have major changes to the Westminster system, which has for all intents and purposes, maintains a pre-colonial era system which has worked to the benefit of the political elite and the bureaucracy. It has also ensured that the two-party political system is entrenched and has shaped our thinking and behaviour, consistent with and maintaining what obtained before independence.
On the other hand the involvement and encouragement of “Public Citizen” in the governance of the country has not been encouraged.
So let’s have some changes before or in tandem with any change from the monarchical system. My suggestions and not in any particular order are:
· Let’s have a fixed date for general elections thereby removing the awesome power now vested in a Prime Minister.
· Let’s have a reduction in the number of Senators from 21 to 15 and let them be elected for a period of seven years. They need not represent either of the major political parties and would have extensive oversight responsibility such as confirmations of senior appointments by the Prime Minister, judicial officers and ambassadorial appointees amongst others.
· Let there be a very clear separation of powers between the Cabinet, Judiciary and Legislature. The cabinet should not be in effect the dominant section of the Legislature
· Let all elected Members of Parliament serve full time and not hold other jobs, whether they sit on the government or opposition benches.
· Let the Cabinet comprise a maximum of 12 members with supporting Ministers of State and Parliamentary Secretaries (who will only attend cabinet meetings on invitation). The names of the Ministries should be standardised so as to avoid the constant changes and high costs associated every time a government changes and lists new or revamped Ministries.
· Let all government contracts above $50 000 go to the Senate for approval after having gone through the Office of the Contractor General.
· Let the Attorney General and Minister of Justice have no other Ministerial responsibilities
· Let there be a Freedom of Inform Act and Whistle blower Legislation.
· Let all Members of Parliament, both the House of Assembly and the Senate, declare their assets before entering parliament to an Integrity Commission.
· Let us know what the shift to a republican form of government will cost, given there must be rebranding of the Barbados Defence Force, the Royal Barbados Police Force, Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds and a host of other changes. What will be the cumulative costs to remove the royal insignia where it now duly exists?
What we need to know is whether Barbadians at home or abroad really care if the island becomes a republic or remains a monarchy or if this is primarily an issue fuelled by politicians with a specific view in mind.
Or are people more concerned with the country being able to achieve a constantly high level of economic growth for the next decade which will guarantee jobs, enhancements in health care delivery and a reform educational system.
People will certainly like better customer service whether at a fast food restaurant or a government agency or from a taxi driver. They would also like to hear that Barbados is atop of the developing world whether in many of the indices and certainly as a place where it is easy to do business.
For sure, we cannot talk about changing the old colonial systems and yet retain those vestiges which suit our cause. That is why parliamentary Reform is so very necessary.