Henry Srebrnik, [Halifax] Chronicle Herald
For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II played a key role in keeping the Commonwealth going. Her death raises questions in some member states as to what the future holds for this family of nations.
A voluntary association made up of 56 member countries, mostly former British colonies, it spans Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific.
It contains 15 realms, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where the British monarch remains head of state.
Of the remaining 41 member states, 36 are republics, while five others -- Brunei Darussalam, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga, have their own monarchs.
Despite its origins in the British Empire, any country can join today. Rwanda, a former Belgian colony, and Mozambique, once a Portuguese possession, are members. The last two countries to join the grouping were Gabon and Togo, both francophone African entities, in 2022.
The grouping is home to over 2.5 billion people, about a third of the world's population. It contains both advanced economies and developing countries.
In its early days, the Commonwealth played an important part in smoothing the transition from empire to independence, ensuring Britain continued to have a close relationship with its former colonies. Throughout her reign, the Queen played a key role in championing the forum and its relevance.
Will King Charles III be able to handle the difficult task of stewarding the organization, and its member states, into the future? Inevitably, this will change the attitudes of many towards the organization.
Malaysia is one example. In 1972, the last British troops had just left the nation; thousands had been stationed there even after independence, to protect the new country from a communist insurgency. Back then, British-owned businesses still controlled much of the economy. But today, it’s only the country’s 19th largest trading partner.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir, the first Malaysian leader not to be educated in Britain, mistrusted Western influence. He saw himself as a champion of the developing world, had little time for royalty, and was sceptical of the Commonwealth’s value.
Lee Boon Chye, a Malaysian politician belonging to the People’s Justice Party, said Malaysians should rethink their nation’s membership of the club, pointing out its colonial legacy. He stressed that the history of colonization was a history of exploitation and brutal subjugation of indigenous peoples.
“The Commonwealth is formed by the British empire and former colonies with the British monarch as the head. Its very existence is legitimizing colonization. We, as a sovereign nation, should focus on our international relationships in other platforms such as the UN, ASEAN and other bodies,” remarked Lee.
Caribbean countries are also rethinking their relationship. Barbados already transitioned to a republic last year, while Jamaica, Belize, and Antigua and Barbuda, are planning referendums on the question. Prime Minister Philip of the Bahamas has stated that a referendum on becoming a republic is “always on the table.”
For generations, British traders made fortunes in Jamaica trading sugar, cacao, indigo and, of course, slaves. The ties to the monarchy were ingrained into the island’s politics, history, institutions and constitution.
This is not remembered fondly any longer. “We're moving on,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Prince William and his wife Catherine, earlier this year while they were on the island. They were met with calls for an apology and reparations for slavery. Jamaicans, Holness warned the heir to the throne, wish to break with their colonial past and become a republic.
With recent polls suggesting more than 50 per cent of Jamaicans now support the idea, Queen Elizabeth’s death may have accelerated that process. “The more we talk about it, the more Jamaicans are waking up,” maintains Professor Rosalea Hamilton, coordinator of The Advocacy Network, which is pushing for constitutional reform.
When Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth, and his wife Sophie visited Antigua and Barbuda in April, the country’s prime minister told him that the nation wished to “one day” become a republic.
After the Queen’s death, Prime Minister Gaston Browne revealed a timeline: He plans to hold a referendum on casting off the monarchy “probably” within the next three years. “This is not an act of hostility,” Browne told ITV News, but a “final step to complete the circle of independence.”
A constitutional reform commission in Belize is poised to consider, among other topics, whether the nation should declare a republic. “Within our region, there is a definite push toward bringing home the head of state,” Henry Usher, Belize’s minister of constitutional and political reform, has stated.
“I think it’s important that we can’t be having a head of state that’s living thousands of miles away and is not in tune with what’s happening locally. The rallying cry in the Caribbean is that the people are sovereign.”
Even an old British dominion like Australia came close to removing the monarch as head of state a quarter-century ago. But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in no rush to address the divisive issue. After his election in May, he appointed his country’s first-ever “assistant minister for the republic,” tasked with explaining and expanding support for a referendum on declaring a republic.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters it was likely that her country would become a republic in her lifetime but she didn’t believe it was “on the agenda anytime soon.”
