BY MASROORA JAN
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 Liss Truss.
Having a queen, whether ceremonial or not, in 2022 seems like a hangover from colonialism, 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? It represents one of the darkest periods of human history. 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 condemning and mourning the Queen’s death, which begs the question, have we truly freed ourselves from the 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 relevant institution. One family is receiving free tax payers’ money, maintaining a lavish lifestyle, palaces, and obscuring unnecessary political influence.
Why do we, all humans living in the twenty-first century, give way to an antiquated system of governance. It undermines merit, basic human rights, equality, and fair treatment. She has exempted herself from carbon emission laws; laws have been drafted to suit her interests.
Who can be called a real royal? What does royalty entail? If it entails everything but cannot include the draconian and archaic laws that prevent and stop the progress of any individual and compromise with their merit, 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 etc. 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. 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 shackles of the Raj. We need to shed the colonial hangover. We need freedom to innovate. It wasn’t just a change of hands. It was a test of fate. We must cherish it.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.