The United Kingdom mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth’s tenure as head of state has been marked by major political events. Her reign spans 15 prime ministers, beginning with Winston Churchill and ending with Liz Truss. Having a queen, whether ceremonial or not, in 2022 seems like a hangover from colonialism, however, and celebrating it in the 21st century is unfortunate. The monarchy is built on the premise of inequality. One family is better than others. How come? What is royalty and how do we define it? No human on this planet is entitled to rule over others simply because they were born into a particular family. Human rights include mourning and receiving a respectful cremation, but celebrating the institution of monarchy is strange.
What makes the monarchy an acceptable and revered institution? The world is mourning the Queen’s death, which begs the question, have we truly freed ourselves from the diabolic cables of British colonialism? Why can’t we just do away with the royal burden? Buckingham Palace causes a huge burden to the British exchequer, which is around 67 million pounds. What is the function of this royal house? It appears to be an old irrelevant institution. One family is receiving free taxpayers’ money, maintaining a lavish lifestyle, palaces, and wielding unnecessary political influence. Why do we, the humans living in the twenty-first century, accept an antiquated system of governance? It undermines merit, basic human rights, equality, and fair treatment.
The queen passed away at the age of 96. She led not only a long but a big life. A life which hardly anyone could ever dream of. Britain owes reparations to all of its colonies. Slavery, colonial deindustrialisation, racial discrimination, economic looting… be it India’s Kohinoor or Ethiopian manuscripts, treasures from British colonies decorate the crown, and the UK doesn’t even feel like being apologetic. We are all living in the shackles of English rule, be it the English language or laws. What has been the freedom struggle of all the colonies about, then? We need to revive our own culture and identity. Colonies have been conquered once, but now we must not let more conquests happen under the grip of Neo-colonialism. We don’t need to know about the British royal family, but rather there is a dire need to know about Cholas, Satvahans, Guptas, Muryas, and Mughals. No country should accept the history lessons of the Raj. We need to shed the colonial hangover. We need freedom to innovate. Freedom wasn’t just a transfer of power. It was a test of our mettle. We must prove it.
Monarchial Hangover of Colonial Legacies added by Masroora Jan on
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