The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said the number of people receiving national honours will likely be limited over time.

He was responding to criticism that the significance of the awards has been diluted by the high number of people receiving them.

“I think there is that concern,” he said after announcing that nominations are now open for the awards until March 29.

“What happened, for example, in the last year and the year before is remember during COVID, virtually there was nothing done in the process, so there was a lot of catching up that had to be done during those years.”

Nonetheless, he said the committee that chooses who to award may one day limit how many could be awarded in each category.

“What happens now, you know, in the old British honours, there’s a limited category, and so The Bahamas gets two or three a year or something like this in the various categories. So at some point, some committee, maybe this committee will decide that it’s only going to be ten in this category, 20 in this category, but I don’t think we’ve reached that point yet.”

“We are really concerned, I think I can speak for everybody, really concerned, that people feel that these awards are valuable and that their services are rewarded, and particularly in the posthumous category as well because so many people have given service to their communities and not been recognized.”

Mr Mitchell highlighted Cecil Cooke, the sailor who won the gold medal in sailing at the 1964 Olympics with Durward Knowles.

“He was the number two man on Durwood Knowles’ boat, but through Sir Durwood’s lifetime, he tended to be overshadowed,” he said, adding that his family was delighted when he was honoured.

Mr Mitchell also responded to complaints that awards are given based on political favour.

“Well, politicians run the country,” he said. “Let me put it that way. That’s the system we have. It’s not partisan political, only political in the administrative sense. The politicians have to make the decision, but the thing is so structured that you have both parties sitting on the committee.

“They make an input, and I think no criticism can be made that there’s any partisan choice because if you look at all of the persons who’ve been awarded, it’s been across the scene. One of the persons who nominated several people was former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, and I don’t think anybody on the committee said yes or no based on that. I think it’s based on the person’s contribution.”