The visit to Jamaica by Prince William and Kate, the Duke, and Duchess of Cambridge is significant but could not have come at a worse time for the couple. Both the Government and the opposition party are putting their best faces on display, in a show of diplomacy to avoid embarrassment.
While there is reason to believe that good relations exist between Jamaica and the UK, there are burning issues to be ironed out by Jamaica House and Buckingham Palace that could sully the relationship in the near future.
Chief among the grievances from Jamaica is the desire to have the United Kingdom pay for the atrocities caused by the British slave trade between 1655 and 1809. More than 600,000 persons were taken from Africa to work on sugar plantations and had to endure unbearable hardships and inhumane treatment in Jamaica.
Jamaica’s Culture minister, Olivia Grange, has said she “wants to petition Her Majesty for compensation for all the nation’s citizens.” According to US News, Grange further stated that “We are hoping for reparatory justice in all forms that one would expect if they are to really ensure that we get justice from injustices to repair the damages that our ancestors experience.”
From all indications, the Jamaican government is not letting up on its goal to be compensated, despite rolling out the red carpet for its guests. Minister Grange made that quite clear in her conversation with the Jamaica Observer. “They are our guests, and we will make them feel at home, but it’s not going to move our focus from the fact that an injustice was done to our ancestors, we seek reparations, and we are focused on achieving that,” she said.
Opposition leader Mark Golding seems to share the view of the government. His former leader and then Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller first raised the issue of reparations in 2013. Golding, in a release, said, “It is in the interests of the Jamaican people that the Opposition be present and able to make our views on these fundamental issues known to the Royals. Constructive dialogue is the best way to move this process forward, and attending these events provides an opportunity for this.”
Since their arrival on March 22, the Duke and Duchess have made multiple public appearances in Jamaica. They visited Trench Town, and Prince William engaged himself in a football game with a schoolboy team. Both were also photographed in a Jamaica Bobsled sleigh. Fun and entertainment aside, the couple’s visit also drew a protest at the British High Commission in Kingston, where Jamaicans voiced disapproval of the visit.
Read More: Queen’s Jubilee Brings Duke & Duchess of Cambridge to Jamaica
The other area of interest between Jamaica and Buckingham Palace is the cessation of the Queen as head of state for Jamaica. Since the move by Barbados in November to become a republic, there have been calls by Jamaicans to follow suit. In December, former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson advocated in a letter to Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding for Jamaica to become a republic for the country’s 60th year of independence this year.
This call for independence from the Queen as head of state and Jamaica becoming a republic has been on the lips of Jamaicans since 2002. It was even placed in Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller’s inauguration speech agenda in 2012.
Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding stated in his 2011-2012 budget debate that “he wanted Jamaica to make its 50th year of Independence free of its colonial ties to the British monarchy.” Golding told his fellow lawmakers in his presentation that “I have long believed that if I am to have a queen, it must be a Jamaican queen.”
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has now given the clearest signal that the island will cut ties with the British monarchy and move towards becoming a republic nation. The prime minister no doubt is moving on his promise made in 2016 when he declared that the Constitution would be amended to replace the Queen with a non-executive president as head of state.
In July 2020, fifty-five percent of Jamaicans said the queen should go, while thirty percent wants her to remain, according to a Bill Johnson poll in the Jamaica Observer. And according to the Gleaner, a Constitution Commission in 1995 recommended that Jamaica should no longer have the monarchy as head of state. But despite all the political talk and aspirations, no Jamaican government has taken the bold steps to install a Jamaican as head of state.
The visit by the royal couple must be uncomfortable for them on the inside, regardless of their outward appearance. It is never a good sign when you visit someone, and family members express disapproval.
We know Jamaica will treat its guests well, but they will also hope to take advantage of the opportunity to convey their message, expecting that Buckingham Palace will receive it. This visit may come at the worst of time for the visitors, but good opportunities may also be on the table.
