Dear Editor,

Bruce Golding’s opinion piece on the British monarchy entitled ‘Monarchical anachronism’, published in the Jamaica Observer on September 15, is as disingenuous and irksome as it gets. It’s the same banal argument echoed ad nauseam by those imbued with the fallacy of the importance of the monarch. The entire article hinges on platitudes and propaganda.

As prime minister Golding occasionally got up close and personal with The Queen, prompting him to create this visual of him hobnobbing with royals. But the flip side of this corrosive coin shows that, while he was enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with The Queen and her bourgeoisie entourage, many poor folks across the globe were suffering in the aftermath of her genocidal regime.

Golding said, “Many are conflicted in honouring The Queen and not the institution she symbolised.”

Try telling that to the Malaysians who the British sprayed with Agent Orange, killing thousands, while Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne.

Tell it to the Mau Mau of Kenya, whose land they seized and killed thousands for resisting Britain’s imposition while Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne.

Go ahead, tell the Indonesians who lost three million in the genocidal massacre while Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne.

How do you suggest these people remember The Queen?

He also said, “I was puzzled when some individual or group sought to petition The Queen when there was nothing she could do other than refer it to her Government.”

What the monarchy and its legacy mean to Golding is not what it means to others. Trying to ostracise those who defend the cause of their ancestors and seek repair is puzzling? Go ahead and cry for your Queen, but let others express their disdain. Let them demonstrate, let them summon, and let them be.

Queen Elizabeth may have been your sweet, lovely friend, but she was also a facilitator and an accomplice to many people’s brokenness. She may not be directly responsible for all the pain and suffering, but the institution she has headed for 70 years is.

It is also ridiculous to believe that The Queen’s role was merely ceremonial and that she had no say in the British Government. The monarch may be apolitical, but The Queen met with prime ministers and addressed Parliament to voice her opinions on global affairs.

There is no denying that the British monarch was the global hegemon during the 17th and 18th centuries. They invaded every country but 22, all in the name of the monarchy, not the British Government’s as Golding indicated.

The British manipulated every area of human life in every country they colonised. They altered culture, beliefs, values, religion, and everything through imperialism. They perpetrated a climate of lawlessness and violence wherever they went, which has trickled down through generations as epigenetic trauma. These traumas can be directly linked to some of the social issues we see today in many former colonies, including Jamaica.

Maurice Haughton

haughton272@ymail.com