ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The Antigua and Barbuda Parliament has approved an amendment to the island’s constitution paving the way to change the oath from swearing to the United Kingdom Sovereign to one swearing to Antigua and Barbuda.
Antigua and Barbuda Attorney General, Sir Steadroy Benjamin piloting the amendment to the country’s constitution (CMC Photo)Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Sir Steadroy Benjamin, who piloted the amendment to the Constitution of the Antigua and Barbuda Bill 2025, said that since 1981 the country had become an independent state and yet had to swear to the British monarch and his or her representatives.
“As such Mr. Speaker it is thought that the time is right for us to change the oath of allegiance,” he said, noting that under the old allegiance the population had to swear allegiance to the King “his heirs and successors.”
“That is an afront in my view to what prevails today in Antigua and Barbuda. It had been thought that this would not have been the proper time to do so…but the government has listened to the debate on the radio and others and we have noted that the people of this nation are now so conscious of their independence that they believe we ought to be swearing allegiance to the state of Antigua and Barbuda and not to his majesty, the King, successors in England” he said.
“The time is right Mr. Speaker and this is exactly what we intend to do,” he said, giving an example of what the new oath would be, adding that it will be dealt with under the Oath Bill 2025.
“When it is passed, it will read like this: I do swear and declare that I will faithfully bear true allegiance to the state of Antigua and Barbuda, its constitution and laws, so help me God,” he said, adding “we will once and for all, finally not be swearing to his majesty in England, his heirs in England, his successors in England.
“We are swearing the oath of allegiance to the state of Antigua and Barbuda, its constitution and its laws,” Sir Steadroy said, adding “we have been independent since 1981, some 44 years ago.
“We have matured, we are independent. It is not like when we were a state within Britain where they took care of our external affairs, we took care of our internal affairs. We have matured,” he said.
Sir Steadroy recalled that when slavery was abolished there was an apprenticeship period “and after a few years you move from one status to the next.
“We have successfully finished that apprenticeship period since 1981, we are independent. We are a unitary, sovereign democratic state with our own constitution. I want to thank members of the public and those individuals who have been harassing the AG …let is start 2026 proper, let us swear our allegiance to the state of Antigua and Barbuda, let us understand that we are independent and from this one we move to the next step and that is becoming a republic
“It is my duty as the Attorney General to advice the nation on when it is time to advance to republican status, and I am saying here that it is time to become a Republic.
“We can’t continue like this; Smarty Jnr, others have made songs about it,” he said, adding that he intends to hold public consultations on the issue to get the public engaged in discussions around the issue.
“The Constitution must be revised, we must go towards the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and we should become a republic,” he said, recalling a statement by a Trinidad and Tobago jurist that “it is an affront to our sovereignty of independent nations that our final court of appeal is in a foreign jurisdiction.”
He said to be independent, countries must control the three arms of government, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
“We control the executive, we control our legislature, but we do not control the judiciary. Mr. Speaker this is the right move as we enter 2026, we are closing a chapter now after 300 years of colonialism…it is time that we grow up, it is time to do the right thing, it is time that we honour the state of Antigua and Barbuda and it is time Mr. Speaker for us to change that oath and the time is now,” Sir Steadroy added.
Antigua and Barbuda is among several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries that cannot become full members of the Trinidad-based CCJ, which was established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council as the region’s highest and final court.
While the country has joined the Original Jurisdiction of the CCJ, allowing for the interpreptation of the Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement, it has not joined the Appellate Jurisdiction of the Court.
Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle, who supported the measure, said he also wanted to place on record a similar effort that had been piloted by the representative for Barbuda in 2023, which had no received the support of the Parliament.
“…here it is that these two bills are before us. Not the typical time of circulation according to the Standing Orders and again Mr. Speaker this is not about the contents of the bill, but it is about the procedure…
“Mr. Speaker what I found so hypocritical is that the Honourable Member for Barbuda would have out forward a bill of such and seek to amend the same constitution that we are amending overnight. He would have moved a motion seeking the House to support….on October 12, 2022”.
Pringle said that while the opposition legislation had lapsed when it was first brought to Parliament, it was brought back the following year.
“I stand in this Honourable House in full support of this amendment to the constitution and I am looking forward Mr. Speaker, because if they don’t do it, when we form government we are going to move to full constitutional reform because it is the right thing to do,” Pringle told legislators.
