Since the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, public debate has reignited about The Bahamas becoming a republic. Minister of Social Services, the Hon. Obie Wilchcombe weighed in on the debate while in Orlando, Florida to attend the Men Of Honor Awards. He said, “I do expect there will be more debate about republics in the Commonwealth. We’ve seen it in the Caribbean, we’ve certainly seen it in other parts of the Commonwealth, we expect more of it. How far and how fast it moves is another question. In our country we’ve heard it as well, so I expect more of that debate.”
Minister Wilchcombe also expressed his support for reparations saying that it is a reasonable argument and expects it to be an issue at the next meeting of CARICOM.
Prime Minister Davis has also previously weighed on the republic debate saying that the public must make that decision by referendum.
For his part, Minister Wilchcombe believes that there will be a smooth transition under the leadership of King Charles III now that Her Majesty The Queen has died. Wilchcombe said, “listening to King Charles its obvious that he has been tutored, he has been mentored, he has been prepared by his mother. What’s interesting for us as we celebrate our fiftieth anniversary of independence is it was Prince Charles who actually delievered the instruments of independence to our country. He actually was apart of the ceremony when we became an independent country,”
Minister Wilchcombe said whatever lies ahead The Bahamas has been apart of the monarchy and the Commonwealth for years and celebrates and reflects on the late queen. The Minister also said that he believes that new king will be able to carry on the work of his mother.
