Tuvalu considers dropping colonial link
As the Prince of Wales nears the end of his South Pacific tour, the tiny atoll nation of Tuvalu is considering dumping the Queen of England as its head of state.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Maatia Toafa said today that penny-pinching by former colonial ruler Britain had forced his government to carry out a review of its constitutional ties to the British monarchy.
He said the issue was Britain’s financial obligation to the Queen’s representative on the islands.
“The people know very well that the monarchy, which is the government of the United Kingdom, is not supporting the office of the Governor General, who is the representative of the Queen,” Toafa told Radio New Zealand.
“I think that is the main concern of the people of Tuvalu concerning our meagre resources,” he said, adding he hopes to hold a referendum by June on replacing the Queen as head of state.
Prince Charles was in Fiji today, the last stop in his tour before returning to Britain.
Tuvalu, a nation of 12,000 people living on a land area of just over 10 square miles first began debating whether to become a republic in 1992, 14 years after it declared independence from Britain.
The nine low-lying atolls are located half way between Hawaii and Australia in the South Pacific ocean and are in danger of disappearing under rising sea levels.
