BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP):
BARBADOS' PRIME Minister Owen Arthur, this week urged his compatriots to make the country a republic, a move that would remove Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.
A referendum to change the constitution and make the head of state a Barbadian president will be held early next year in the former British colony, the Prime Minister said.
"Why should we ... perpetuate a situation where the highest office in our land, our head of state, is beyond the reach of each and every born Barbadian?" asked Arthur, the country's leader since 1994, in a national address marking Barbados' 39th anniversary of independence from Britain.
"We must move to a new level of maturity as a nation," he said. Barbados, a parliamentary democracy, gained independence from Britain in 1966, but still recognises the Queen of England as the official head of state. A Governor-General with largely ceremonial duties represents the Queen on the island.
Although many Barbadians are fond of their British ties, pro-republic sentiment on the island of 278,000 has increased in recent years, a trend throughout the English-speaking Caribbean.
Earlier yesterday, Arthur marched in the annual military parade at the main seaport in Bridgetown, the capital.
Bands played the national anthem, while people lined the streets waving the Barbadian flag and wearing the national colours of blue and yellow.
