Jamaica, from monarchy to republic

Jamaica is finally removing the British monarch as its head of state. On Wednesday, the government presented a bill to transition the country from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. But this move should come as no surprise. After all, Jamaica has been telegraphing its intent for decades. Britain, like a houseguest overstaying its welcome, was bound to be shown the door.

Mind you, most former British colonies transitioned to republics decades ago. South Africa gave the monarchy the boot in 1961. Kenya and Nigeria followed in 1964. And Barbados transitioned just years ago, in 2021. The writing was on the wall, yet Jamaica lingered, sipping tea and humming “God Save the Queen” long after the party ended. Other notable holdouts like Canada, Australia, and The Bahamas are still clinging to the vestiges of colonialism.

The bill to become a republic

This bill is about more than replacing King Charles with a Jamaican president as ceremonial head of state. It also proposes expanding the senate to include independent senators and tackling thorny issues like citizenship and judicial appeals.

Yet the way Opposition parties are protesting might explain why Jamaica remains under the realm of The Crown. Among other things, they claim it reeks of political opportunism with national elections looming. They’re also indignant about the bill’s glaring failure to replace the UK’s Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as Jamaica’s highest court of appeal. They’re right.

Jamaica, why diss King Charles so wantonly?

I’ve long argued that nations like Jamaica need to fully embrace their independence by severing all colonial ties — from ditching the monarchy to abolishing the archaic Honours system. So this bill should mark a triumph. But the timing feels…awkward. Jamaica had all the time in the world during Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign to make this move. Why now, just as King Charles finally gets his chance to warm the throne?

Lest we forget, Charles waited 73 years for this gig. Elizabeth ascended at 25, and William will likely inherit the crown somewhere in between. Charles, meanwhile, faces a short reign, compounded by whispers of a cancer diagnosis. And here comes Jamaica, yanking the rug out from under him when he’s barely settled in.

Not to mention that, as monarchs go, Charles is a marked improvement over his prim and schoolmarm mother. He’s more enlightened, more empathetic, and, frankly, more fun. He talks to plants, champions climate change, and even cracks a joke now and then.

I wish Jamaica had waited just a few more years – to transition in that awkward interregnum between his death and William’s coronation. Instead, it chose to diminish Charles’s reign with a timing that’s as callous as it is calculated. The move is especially inconsiderate and insensitive to the king, given the awareness Opposition parties are raising about its proximity to the national elections.

Sorry, Charlie. The monarchy may be ceremonial, but Jamaica’s message is loud and clear: the ceremony is over.