UB politics professor says Bahamian indifference to becoming republic due to lack of personal impact
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As The Bahamas broadens its discussions surrounding moving away from the British Monarch, Former Director General of Culture Dr Nicolette said she believes the country should also consider becoming a federation.
Bethel added her view on the issue insisting that The Bahamas needs to thinking about governance on the whole instead of comparing itself to other countries.
“We really need to be asking ourselves what works? What works for the Bahamas,” she said.
She furthered the discussion should also include whether the country could become a federation that does not have to mirror the United States.
“We can look at how to become a federation, which means that we don’t only have local government, but we devolve a lot of the responsible to whole arenas,” Bethel said.
“The thing that we’re missing is that just having a centralized government means that one government is focusing on one source of income and one source of economic and development for a whole country.
“But if you have local government and you free people up to do that, you can have five to ten to 20 and all.”
The recent Caribbean tour by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee has reignited debate over the country’s readiness to become a republic and the removal of the Queen as the country’s head of state.
But Bethel opined that the local discussion has multiple moving parts.
“Most people who think that they are monarchists are really fans of Queen Elizabeth II,” she said.
“We’re not necessarily fans of the British monarchy per se.
“And we’re not necessarily going to be as anxious to be part of that monarchical empire kind of thing once the queen is no longer with us.
Bethel continued: “Do we want our Governor General to represent King Charles, for example? I don’t know. I think that the discussion about Republic is only part of a discussion that we need to be having.”
Two previous Constitutional Commissions have made recommendations regarding the retention of the Queen of England as the Bahamas’ Head of State, with both commissions reporting mixed feelings from the public.
Shelby McPhee, a politics professor at The University of The Bahamas, said he believes Bahamians are indifferent because a move toward a republic doesn’t “fix the issues that persist today”.
“I think people are indifferent because it is largely ceremonial,” McPhee said.
“But I think those of us that are thinking about it know that it is a ceremonial task that is significant and speaks to who we are as a people and what we think of ourselves and our partners here in the region.
“For me though, the question isn’t so much what if but more so why haven’t we.”
He furthered that it’s been 70 plus years since the first anti-colonial struggle began, 60 plus years since the Bandung Conference, and 40 plus years since The Bahamas’ independence and the country has yet to close its anti-colonial circle and turn the postcolonial corner.
McPhee added that part of this issue is also the age gap and the difference in perspective between demographics surrounding the matter.
“Older Bahamians have memory of the colonialism and the violence that it wrought so they—in some instance—know that the next logical step was to divorce the crown,” he continued.
“This isn’t to say that all older Bahamians believe that but some do.
“Meanwhile, younger people don’t have significant memory of colonialism and aren’t so much concerned with national struggle or decolonization.
“I do think though that is changing rapidly because of global movements around reparations and decolonization, and international movements like Black Lives Matter.
“…These events and expanding of American imperialism and hegemony is really politically activating and waking younger people up.”
Prime Minister Philip Davis has said that his administration “will listen to, participate in, and fully support” the decision of Bahamian people regarding the future of their relationship with Great Britain.
