Orville Taylor | RIP your majesty

Born just four weeks apart, Queen Elizabeth II always in a strange way, triggered the filial instincts that my own dearly departed queen Miss Ivy brought out. And yes, I share the pain of her immediate family, because despite all the pomp and pageantry, royal trappings, protocols and accoutrements surrounding her office and status; she was simply another human being, someone’s mother, auntie and granny, who will be missed by her loved ones. And like all who have departed before, may her soul rest in peace and she find favour with The Lord on the day of her resurrection. Her own Church of England has this last point as the linchpin of its doctrine.

For the next two weeks, we, her loyal and sometimes unruly subjects on this little piece of rock in the turquoise Caribbean Sea, are going to be in an official state of mourning. It is not a mere formality; it is a requirement under our statutes. After all, she was our head of state, as she was for 13 other nominally ‘independent’ nations in the misnomered oxymoron, Commonwealth.

Thus, for those who think that this period of official bereavement is too long for a foreign leader; this is a reality ‘cheque’ that must be encashed, because our battery of political leaders has not taken the direction to make us into a republic.

In comes King Charles III, whose waiting in ‘vein’ made the popular Bob Marley song seem like a joke. Of course, if he loved his mother as much as I did mine; he really would not have been in any hurry to see Mother pass. I believe his words, “It’s the moment I’ve been dreading, as I know a lot of people have.” I would give Miss Ivy left me to keep her alive and healthy for another year.

DECISIVE STEP

Anyway, in welcoming Charles, much will remain the same, unless our leaders take the decisive step. Doubtless, the courts will now abandon the more pleasant tail-end of ‘gina’ for the gruffer Rex and the senior lawyers will automatically become King’s Counsel (KC).

Much of the processes will remain the same, with the superficial replacement of His Majesty for Her Majesty. His ascendancy may also have an impact on the order of succession with the African-blooded Archie being in the long line of cabooses behind the locomotive.

It will be interesting to see him have a definitive position on reparations beyond his admission that, “The appalling atrocity of the slave trade, and the unimaginable suffering it caused, left an indelible stain on the history of our world.” Worse, last week he created a ‘blacklash’ when he guest edited the black-oriented newspaper, The Voice.

Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, exactly 53 years to the day that we abandoned the British standard of pounds, shillings and pence for the decimal dollars and cents. Most important, for the first time we had people on our money who looked mostly like us. Moreover, our coat of arms was more realistic. Two original Jamaicans, Tainos, whose blood is diffused among the African population here. And a real creature, the crocodile, not some mythical unicorn and an animal from Africa, that never lived in England when the Anglo Saxons settled there, but which graces the UK’s coat of arms.

As Britain has demonstrated its unwillingness to move into modernity and a global standard, it Brexited, and still measures weight in stones, distance in miles and liquid in imperial quarts.

Britain can afford to hold on to its ceremonial monarchy. However, in the developing world, such as Jamaica, where we pride ourselves on universal suffrage, independence of judiciary and achievement, there cannot be any caste that keeps its status based on pure ascription.

EARN THEIR PLACE

My position is the same even if it is an African king or even a descendant of Jah Jah Haile Selassie I. All persons in a democracy are created equal and must earn their place in their own lifetimes. Charles has a lot to do to fix many of the travesties of the past. Funny! The British cartoon Peppa Pig with its all-white cast even with many being African animals, has introduced same-sex couples, but has not yet given us a black character. Will he and new Prime Minister Liz Truss, who couldn’t possibly have ‘less trust’ than her predecessor Boris Johnson, finally right the wrong, rather than simply write the wrong?

Which Jamaican KC will ‘cat the bell’ and discard his title? Until the era of inherited leadership ends and the rule of the people, democracy becomes the ultimate standard, there shall be no peace and justice. So jah say! Personally, I hope the legal profession opts for the American standard of ‘The People’ in replacing the crown. Thus, the prestigious senior counsel will be the people’s counsel. With the backing of the people, PC has more clout than some pusillanimous attorney leaning on his privilege. A month ago, the RJRGLEANER Don Anderson poll indicated that only 27 per cent of Jamaicans were in favour of keeping the monarchy. Elizabeth Regina knew it was time.

Let us mourn the Queen. But Charles must be the last person of that lineage to be our head of state. RIP your majesty, tell Miss Ivy, howdy!

- Dr Orville Taylor is head of the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.