Governor-General Dame Sandra Mason was yesterday officially elected as President-Elect taking her one move closer to becoming Barbados' first President. (Photo by Michron Robinson)
By Michron Robinson on Thursday, 21 October, 2021 at 01:53 PM
The move yesterday by the Parliament to vote on the official election of Barbados' first President Dame Sandra Mason has been met with a round of applause by The Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration.
While speaking with the Latin American media house TeleSur English in an interview yesterday General Secretary for the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration David Denny said he was "elated" that the process has started towards a people's democratic republic.
"That is the beginning of our process but our movement will continue to struggle for Barbados to develop the process for constitutional reform to empower the people. And to take the republic process to a higher level where we will be able to have a people's democratic."
Denny further explained that with Barbados celebrating its independence since 1966 now is the time more than ever for the people of Barbados to remove the Queen as Head of State for all to celebrate a Barbadian in such a post - namely Dame Sandra Mason.
"I am very happy with the transition from Governor-General to President because that in itself will create the conditions for a lot more unity among the Barbadian people political organisations and the social movements in Barbados," he explained.
Denny also assured that with examples such as the Republic of Trinidad, Guyana and Dominica the relations with them and imperialist states has not changed.
"All three countries are still part of the Commonwealth and I expect that Barbados will remain a part of the Commonwealth so I don't think it will create any difficulties in dealing with those imperialist countries in the future. What we as progressive forces in Barbados need to do is to continue the struggle because this is just a parliamentary republic but we have to work towards the people's democratic republic," he said.
Denny said that the "real struggle" that will come is to transform the society and to empower the people of Barbados to give them hope and direction for Barbados.