by Linda Straker
- 50 citizens will be awarded for 2024 during 2025 Independence celebrations
- Nominee selections were made from various sectors
- Awards will be handed out at 2025 Independence Day Rally
Jacqueline Alexis, Chairperson of the National Celebrations Committee has disclosed that 50 citizens will be awarded for 2024 during the 2025 Independence celebrations. “In 2025 it is a kind of a way of closing off the 50th with the awards. The awards will be given out to 50 of our citizens,” she said during a news conference on Tuesday, 17 December 2024. Alexis explained that the committee was established by the Governor-General as recommended in the 2007 National Honours and Awards Act.
She said that names nominated to the committee, chaired by Dominic Jeremiah were submitted to the Cabinet. From those nominations, 50 people will be selected to be awarded on 7 February at the Independence Day Rally at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium.
Alexis explained that nominee selections were made from sectors including fisheries, community development, medicine, youth development, sports and education, social work and journalism, culture, business and entrepreneurship, policing, innovators, foreign services, tourism and hospitality, the creative arts, academia, science and technology, the marine environment and financial services.
Section 10 of the National Honours and Awards legislation states that any individual may submit to the committee for its consideration and recommend a nomination of a person for an award of the Order. Upon receipt of a nomination, the committee shall consider such nomination, conduct such investigations as it may deem necessary and submit its recommendation to the Prime Minister.
“The Prime Minister shall review the recommendations submitted to him or her by the Committee and may make such recommendations to the Governor-General for the conferment of awards as he or she may deem necessary,” the legislation instructs. The recommendations made to the Governor-General shall be announced publicly and shall be published in the Government Gazette. An award granted by the Governor-General shall be granted by Proclamation, sealed with the Seal of the Order and shall have effect from the date of the Seal unless another effective date is specified in the Proclamation.
