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No National Hero Status Yet

Bob Marley and Louise Bennett may not become national heroes, but could receive the Order of Jamaican Heritage (OJH).

Rebel slave uprising leader, Tacky stands a much better chance of being named the eighth national hero, if convincing information can be produced. But for the time being, it is likely that the number of national heroes will remain at seven.

The information is contained in the report of a committee, which was appointed by Prime Minister Bruce Golding last October to review the system of national honours and awards. The committee was chaired by Professor Rex Nettleford and also included fellow University of the West Indies professors, Barry Chevannes and Verene Shepherd. The report was reviewed by the Cabinet last week and tabled in the House of Representatives by the prime minister. It goes next to Parliament's Human Resources and Social Development Committee for further review.

Golding pointed out that while views were expressed by Cabinet members, it was decided to send the report to the parliamentary committee before making a final decision.

"This represents the views of the committee and not necessarily the views of the government," Golding said about the report. "We want to work through Parliament to arrive at a consensus on what changes ought to be made to the existing system.

"He said that he hoped to have the matter resolved before the end of the 2008/2009 session, so that any changes made would be done in time for the 2009 award of honours.

The committee was asked to review the system of national honours and awards and make recommendations for changes, while ensuring that appropriate recognition was given to those who render outstanding service. It was also asked to advise on whether Marley and Bennett (Miss Lou), who are frequently cited as deserving recipients, should be considered for national hero status, or if the present complement of seven national heroes should remain.

The committee recommended that the Order of National Hero, the highest honour, should remain restricted to the existing heroes for the time being.

However, it recommended that a new Order of Jamaican Heritage be instituted as the second highest national honour. Currently the second highest national honour is the Order of the Nation (ON) which goes to governors general and prime ministers.

The OJH would be given to outstanding individuals or groups for outstanding contributions to "the nation's tangible and intangible heritage, as well as in the decolonisation of Jamaican sense and sensibility as part of the struggle for political and cultural sovereignty".

The committee said that it was also aware of recent petitions to elevate Tacky, the hero of the 1760 war of liberation, to the status of national hero. It recommended that a researcher be identified to write a paper justifying Tacky's elevation to that status for future consideration as the committee did not have such a paper to guide it at the time.

The other members of the committee were Madge Barrett, Merrick Needham, Senator Oswald Harding, Seragh Lakasingh, Hugh Nash and Jean Barnes.

Source: Jamaica Observer

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