Most Cabinet Ministers and a cross-section of the Bahamian society filed the Jones Communications Media Center Friday evening as the leading media company hosted its 17th annual Civil Society and Person of the Year Awards ceremony.

The special event was created to honour Bahamians who have used “head, heart and hand” to make outstanding contributions to the political, social and economic development of the Bahamian society.

The night culminated with the nation’s leader Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis receiving the Person of The Year Award for 2017.

In his acceptance address speech, the Prime Minister said that he shared the award with multiple people as they helped get him where he is today.

“An award such as this, is not the achievement of one person. I thank the Bahamian people and my party for reposing their trust in me. I thank the many colleagues and associates who have worked with me for the betterment of our country.

“I share this award with so many others. The genius of our parliamentary system is one of collective responsibility and consensus decision making.

“As I mentioned in a message to parliamentary colleagues last year, ours is not a presidential system. There is no chief executive in our system of government.

“We are a Westminster-based system, in which executive authority is vested in the Queen and exercised on her behalf by the Governor General. The Cabinet has general direction and control of the government and is collectively responsible to Parliament. Our system demands collegiality, collaboration and team work,” Dr. Minnis said.

Chief Executive Officer of the Jones Communications Network Wendall Jones in his remarks, said the awardees all went beyond the call of duty in their efforts.
He said, “ today, more than ever, The Bahamas needs valuable contributions from each citizen. We are living at a time when new social strictures are developing to challenge mankind.
“ Our survival and upward mobility depend upon an understanding that our common humanity is more important than our differences and that everyone matters.
“Our honourees each year are chosen on the basis of extraordinary achievement and a common quality known as courage,” said Mr. Jones.

The recipient of the Civil Society Award for Community Service was Bishop Walter Hanchell for the work he has done as founder of the Great Commission Ministries and for assisting the marginalized in the country to find food, clothes and shelter.

Accepting the award he said, “a lot of people in our country are hurting and they need help and I thank God for people like you who are here with a heart of compassion, that take time to look out for our brothers. We are our brother’s keeper and I appreciate the acts of kindness.

“The more money you give, the more people we can empower,” Mr. Hanchell said.

The second recipient was Chief Executive of Aliv , Damian Blackburn. He received The Business Person of the year award for the strides his company made in the telecommunications field, after becoming the country’s latest mobile telecom provider.

Blackburn noted his ties with Jones Communication as his interview with the media house last year was his first in The Bahamas.

“I’m delighted to accept this award on behalf of the entire Aliv team. To the people of The Bahamas I honoured to serve you as the Chief Aliv Officer,” he said.

Dr. Robin Roberts Chairman of the National Health Insurance initiative was awarded for his multiple achievements in medicine. Being unable to attend the ceremony, his wife received the award in his honor.

Previous recipients of the JCN Person of the year Awards include all three former Prime Ministers of the Bahamas, noted clergymen, former Archbishop Drexel Gomez and Bishop Neil Ellis, as well as Physicians, Dr. Magnus Ekedede, Dr. Conville Brown, Dr. Perry Gomez, Olympian Tonique Williams Darling; former BTC President, Leon Williams, Sir Baltron Bethel, former Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald and the current President of the University of the Bahamas, Doctor Rodney Smith.