The advisory committee of the National Honours system says that they are seeking the best of the best; those that have reached extraordinary achievements and those that have helped to develop not only communities but the country. Having done a test exercise before attempting to see how many nominees would be obtained and getting a large number 0f 200, the Committee expects to obtain many nominations.
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis formed the 10-member committee in accordance with the National Honors Act of 2016 to come up with a system that will honour notable Bahamians; no longer following the British way of honouring; all while highlighting the talent and efforts of our Bahamian people.
There are eight established societies of honour, including the honor of National Hero, The Order of Nation, The Order of The Bahamas , The Order of Excellence, The Order of Merit, The Order of Distinction, any other honor constituted by the Governor- General, and The Order of Lignum Vitae, which is given to the “youth of the nation”.
“There are people in our nation that have made seminal contributions, regardless of age,” says Mark Humes.
The national honors system has no age limit, and there is also no restriction on whether the person being nominated is alive or deceased, as the committee wishes to acknowledge all of those in the Bahamian society that contributed to National Development.
Mr. Idris Reid says that there is no limit on the number of people to be honored as nominations are opened to the entire Bahamas, but great care with be taken during the selection.
In addition to the eight societies, there are award of medals. The awards are Distinguished Service medals for citizens of the Bahamas in recognition of exceptional service in Public Service or Civil society, Badges of honour for persons in the civil society who perform exceptional service to the Bahamas; and medals for bravery undertaken in the Bahamas. These awards will recognize persons who have achieved excellence in designated categories while contributing to national development.
Those being nominated cannot be made aware of their nomination as a public announcement of approved awards and nominees will be made on July 10, 2018, following a conferment of all awards on National Heroes Day in October 2018. Applications must be in on or before June 11th, 2018 and the committee is looking forward to a large number.
