Dear Editor,
THE passing of Queen Elizabeth has evoked mixed views from around the globe regarding her reign. Glowing tributes have been uttered by leaders and others worldwide on the British monarch who reigned for 70 years. No doubt, she was a majestic woman who presided over monarchy with grace and non-controversy. There were also critiques of her reign, especially from nationalists and objective commentators around the globe who felt the pain of imperialism and whose territories were drained of wealth to build Britain. Every colony suffered as a result of British imperialism and that of other imperial powers. Yet, in spite of their sufferings, almost all of them released statements in praise of the Queen and wished the royal family well. No one wishes to ill speak the Queen, but it is not forgotten that the precious crown she wears is from India valuing hundreds of millions of pounds.

President Irfaan Ali offered condolence praising Her Majesty who was once head of state of Guyana until Burnham illegally ended the relationship in 1970. Burnham rigged the 1968 elections, giving himself a two-thirds majority that allowed him to sever ties with the crown.  With regard to Guyana, it is recalled that Her Majesty’s Government gave the colony adult suffrage in 1953 and then overthrew the democratically elected government six months later.  Self-governance was restored in 1957 but independence was delayed until the ouster of the socialist Jagan and installation of Burnham, who was a willing partner in the imperialist bidding.

India, once the prized possession of the British monarchy, announced a full day of mourning for September 11 with flags flying at half-staff. Britain impoverished India with tens of millions starved to death as food and clothing were sent to the UK, instead of taking care of the Indian subjects.

The death of Queen Elizabeth marks the end of an era for British monarchy. Her tenure began just after WWII and she presided over a monarchy that saw her power whittled away from one of the most powerful nations and empire to among the weakest in terms of being a global power. Colonies started to gain their independence under her father King George, beginning with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc and on to African colonies, and then the South East colonies, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and the Pacific. Her power shifted from that over the British empire to over the Commonwealth of Nations; freed colonies became members of the Commonwealth that now total some 56. India, once the wealthiest nation, rendered poverty stricken and pauperised by the monarch by 1947, has surpassed the UK in terms of total GDP 75 years later in 2022.

During Elizabeth’s tenure the cold war emerged and also came to an end in 1989.  She also saw the UK’s entry into the European Union and its exit in 2020. She encountered 15 UK Prime Ministers and every American President going back to Eisenhower. She also suffered downside – divorces of three of her four children. The death of her mother and a daughter-in-law, Princess Diana, and the divorce of Diana’s son, Harry, from royal duties. He now makes his home in California.

It will be recalled that when Diana died in a car accident in Paris in 1997, the Queen was criticised for not coming out in public and mourning the loss of the peoples’ Princess, the world’s princess. Then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair forced her out in the open, along with her husband, Prince Charles and Diana’s two sons. In spite of her downside, the Queen has consistently remained popular with the highest favourability ratings of all public figures in the UK, including according to a recent survey. This is probably so because she stayed away from controversial matters and never dabbled in politics unlike her son Charles, who is now King. Charles is deeply concerned about climate change and has strong political views that are not supported by the ruling Toryites. He wishes to remain head of state of Commonwealth nations.

More and more countries broke with the Queen as their head of state. The smart ones such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, among others, have retained the monarch as Head of State. Some countries in the Caribbean are talking of breaking away from the monarch – with having the Queen, now king, serving as head of state. There are advantages of maintaining the monarch as head of state. Those countries are seen as being stable and attract a lot of tourists and they also do get a lot of financial assistance from the UK. None of the remaining British colonies want to break from Britain because it allows them a high standard of living. None of the freed colonies in the West Indies enjoy a higher standard of living than the current British colonies. The colonies also enjoy quality justice, transparency, accountability and fairness in governance. They get free education and passports that allow them entry into almost any country, including all over Europe and North America. Nationals of freed colonies need visas to travel in most countries in the world. It should also be noted that none of the French and Dutch territories want independence from their imperial ruler. In referendums, the locals rejected independence. And the territories are no longer governed as colonies but as overseas departments; the Dutch islands have self-governance with subventions from Holland. All the overseas territories are better off than the independent countries, except for a few in Asia in terms of quality of life.

There has been much talk and a demand for reparations for slavery and indentureship and the genocide of native peoples such as our Amerindians. This writer has been involved in a movement with others from Fiji, Southeast Asia, Fiji, Trinidad, Mauritius, Australia, India, and East Africa, to get an apology from Her Majesty for indentureship and compensation in the form of a grant to aid neighbourhoods in India where the indentureds were recruited to provide slave-like labour to enrich Britain. So far, there has not been a positive outcome. The struggle continues for some form of reparations such as an apology, construction of a museum for remembrance of victims of slavery and indentureship and colonisation in general, and grants to provide education to the less fortunate.

The Queen’s successor, King Charles, should give consideration to the request for justice for the victims of colonisation.

Yours sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram