Barbados to vote on ditching Queen

BRIDGETOWN - Barbados' prime minister has proposed that the island cut ties with the British monarchy and become a republic but gave assurances at the weekend that will not happen without voter approval.

In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Owen Arthur told Barbadians his government intended to change its "way of governance," not their way of life, and certainly not without democratic consultation.

Arthur announced last month that his government planned to take Barbados "to a higher and mature plane of political development" by making it a republic by the end of 2005. The announcement sparked debate over the need for a referendum.

The Caribbean island of 277,000 people was colonised by Britain in the 1600s and became independent in 1966 but remains a part of the British Commonwealth with Queen Elizabeth 2 as head of state.

Arthur has proposed that Barbados become a parliamentary republic with a ceremonial president as head of state. Executive power would remain with the Cabinet, with the prime minister as the head of government. Barbados would remain a member of the Commonwealth.

"Some of the comments seem to suggest that the proposal for Barbados to replace a monarchy with republican status is a new idea which the government wishes to impose on the people," said Arthur. "That is not so. "

He said the idea was first explored in 1979 by a constitutional review commission, but was shelved because a majority of Barbadians at the time wanted to keep the queen as head of state. Since then, a constitutional review commission appointed in 1996 has made clear that Barbadians are ready to elect their own head of state, he said.

Arthur, who began serving the first of his three terms as prime minister in 1994, said he would ask Parliament to approve a referendum, and that democratic consultation was always part of his plan.

"In 1994, as one of the pledges made to the people of Barbados, this administration proclaimed that on a matter as fundamental as a change of our governance, such as would be involved in a move to a republican status, the opinion of the people shall be deliberately and specifically canvassed by way of a referendum," Arthur said.

- REUTERS