CARIBBEAN-POLITICS- Barbado’s decision to become a republic prompted much debate on the future of the Commonwealth

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Stephen Twigg, Monday said Barbado’s decision to become a republic had prompted “a lot of discussion around the future of the Commonwealth.”

Twigg, addressing the formal opening of the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament here, Twigg, a former British legislator, said it was important to put the debate in the context of the Commonwealth, the colonial legacy, as well as the impact of slavery.

He said he is hoping for “an open, honest debate about the problematic history of the Commonwealth only serves to strengthen our organization going forward.”

Barbados, on November 30, last year, officially removed the head of the British monarch as its head of state, becoming the world’s newest republic. The move ended Britain’s centuries of influence over the island, which was a hub for the transatlantic slave trade for more than 200 years.

Barbados announced its plan to become a republic last year, but it will remain within the Commonwealth.

Formerly known as the British Commonwealth, the Commonwealth of Nations is a loose association of former British colonies and current dependencies, along with some countries that have no historical ties to Britain.

Twigg told the opening ceremony that “Barbados’s decision to become a republic prompted a lot of discussion around the future of the Commonwealth, but I pointed out when people say those things to me that actually, the majority of members of the Commonwealth are republics.

“It is no threat to the Commonwealth. Some of the Commonwealth members decided to have a different head of state to the head of state of the United Kingdom, who is also the head of the Commonwealth”.

Twigg said that with the death of the 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth 11 on September 8 this year and the coming to the throne of King Charles, “there is an opportunity, I think particularly for young people within the Commonwealth to talk about what the Commonwealth means to you.

“What the Commonwealth means, yes, in terms of its history and the legacy, but the Commonwealth today and most importantly, the Commonwealth of the future,” he said, noting that the Speaker of the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament, Bridgid Annisette-George, had in her address spoken about the possible role for young people within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“We are now halfway through the period between they (SDGs) being adopted in the UN…and achieving the goals by 2030. They were always going to be challenging to achieve those goals, but of course, the COVID crisis has made that even harder, not least for those that do relate to young people; the learning crisis that arose from COVID, ….closures across the world and the impact that has particularly had on some of the poorest and those often most excluded from our education system”.

Twigg, who became the eighth CPA secretary general in 2020, said that this is why in its strategic plan, the CPA “has six clear priority themes, one of which is on sustainable development and climate change.”

He said another is on youth engagement with young people, gender, disability, technology and innovation, and the particular needs of small states, as well as a renewed focus on human rights.

The five-day CPA conference here is being hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament and brings together 58 young people aged 18 to 29 from 33 Commonwealth jurisdictions.

“I am delighted to welcome such a diverse group of young people from across the Commonwealth to Trinidad and Tobago to participate in this 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament. In the context of the national landscape of Trinidad and Tobago, youth engagement is critical to ensuring a healthy democracy,” Annisette-George said.

During the week, youth participants will act as elected representatives of a fictional jurisdiction and debate a mock Parliamentary Bill related to remote working and alternative working patterns. They will be mentored by serving Members of Parliament from the British Virgin Islands, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.