“Jamaica wants to become independent,” said the Prime Minister during his visit to the British royal family

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has told Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate that the Caribbean island wants to become “independent”.

“Jamaica, you see, is a country that is proud of its history and very proud of what we have achieved,” Holness said. “We want to move forward and intend to fulfill our desire and destiny to become an independent, developed and prosperous country.”

Jamaica is part of the Commonwealth, with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as the symbolic head of state. Likes Barbados 4 months ago Jamaica also wants to sever its recent colonial ties.

Protest

The arrival of William and Kate in Jamaica, as in the latter days of Belize, was protested by colonization and the United Kingdom’s role in slavery. The demonstrators demanded an apology and compensation. “Seh yuh sorry!” read on the protest banners.

The prime minister also noted the protest, according to royal family correspondents. Jamaica is a very free and liberal country and its people are very outspoken. I’m sure you saw all that expression yesterday.”

bondage

Prince William and his wife Kate are on a tour of the former British colonies in the Caribbean. In a speech, William did not respond to calls for his grandmother’s fall as head of state. Also, the apology for slavery seems like a bridge too far, though William said he agreed with his father Charles’s statement in Barbados that “the atrocities of slavery are a stain on our history forever.” “Slavery was terrible and should never have happened,” William said.

The Jamaican government said last year it wanted compensation from the UK for moving an estimated 600,000 Africans to work on farms.