There are some who are eager to see Antigua and Barbuda follow the lead of Barbados in ending the official reign of the British monarchy and adopting a non-executive president to lead a Republic. Simple enough, right? Others are not enthusiastic, and think that partisan ramblings along those lines are merely a distraction from the bread-and-butter issues of the day. But does that mean that it should not happen? In this episode, we ask: What appetite is there for republicanism in Antigua and Barbuda, and could it ever get passed a referendum?

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

More on this episode: 

What does a republicanism even mean for us? Properly, a republic is a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch. For us, being a "parliamentary constitutional monarchy" means that we already ostensibly treat the people (through democracy) and our elected representatives as the supreme power. It's not as if either the monarch Elizabeth II, or the Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, actually govern Antigua and Barbuda in any way. We elect MPs for that. 

We have long been a monarchy only in title, but in practice a republic. So for us, republicanism becomes merely an official name change and the amending of the constitution to expunge the things like "monarchy" and "heirs and successors". But some don't much like the simplicity of that. They was "republicanism" to mean far more - a serious introspection on how our political institutions function with the aim of arriving at more impactful reforms that make the system more accountable, more representative, and more just. 

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on December 5th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.