Republican movements around the world are gathering pace but even Commonwealth realms and nations desperate to divorce the monarchy are going to take the day off.
There are 15 countries considered Commonwealth realms. So far six have announced a national holiday to mark the death of the queen. The Bahamas, Belize and Canada opted for the day of her funeral, September 19, to pay their respects. Australia’s is scheduled for September 22, New Zealand for September 26, and the Solomon Islands got in early, having already enjoyed a day off on September 12.
Antigua and Barbuda are yet to sign off on a national holiday. Prime Minister Gaston Browne said he would need to “consult further to see what the other Caribbean countries are doing” before deciding.
Jamaica and Saint Lucia have stopped short of a day off and instead opted for a prolonged period of mourning: 12 days in Jamaica and 10 in Saint Lucia. Others went for half-masts.
The decision to honour the monarch has not been without controversy in Caribbean nations where the queen has long stood as a symbol of oppression and tyranny. Jamaica and Grenada are two of six Caribbean nations eager to shed their British bonds and join Barbados, Dominica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago as republics.
Although these four nations have removed the queen as their head of state, they remain a part of the 56 nations that make up the Commonwealth.
So what does it mean? For the purposes of formality, republican status gives these nations the right to independently elect their head of state. Symbolically, it stands for a lot more. It’s a mechanism to sever links with an empire that enslaved and oppressed past generations.
The Australian Republican Movement looks set to enjoy the public holiday next week. It decided to wait until King Charles III was settled in before resuming campaigning.
This article was first published by Crikey.
Julia Bergin is Crikey’s Northern Territory correspondent based in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Prior to this, she reported on science.
