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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie speaking to the National Heroes Service at Golden Gates World Outreach Ministries. (BIS Photo / Peter Ramsay)
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NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Government has committed to identifying an appropriate place for a national heroes park by the country’s 40th Independence anniversary on July 10, 2013, Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie has announced.
He made the statement during a service by the National Heroes Committee held at the Golden Gates World Outreach Ministry on Wednesday, October 3, 2012.
October has been declared National History Month; the committee is also proposing a national honours system to replace the Queen’s honours and a national heroes day.
In this vein, the Prime Minister has agreed that national heroes should be honoured for their contribution to nation building. He then announced that Academy Award winner Sir Sidney Poitier, who has Bahamian ties to Cat Island be the first honouree under the new awards system.
The committee has also been charged to identify other deserving Bahamians to be honoured.
“I support the work of the National Heroes Committee because their perseverance has made me support them,” the Prime Minister said.
In 2007, an Act was passed declaring October as National Heroes Month and the Second Monday therein as National Heroes Day. The same Act also established a system of National Honours.
“We have to activate the law and have something that we can agree with,” he said.
The Prime Minister recalled being thrown out of school as a young teenager and it was a “national hero” — a teacher — Donald Davis who told him that he could be somebody special. He said there were others who made sacrifices and who had faith in him to invest further in his education.
When the National Heroes Committee first looked at The Bahamas, they realised that the original people were wiped out. Therefore, it is important to preserve places like Clifton Cay, where the historic Whylly Plantation is located, which is the one place, the Prime Minister said.
He also recalled the names of other national heroes with both colonial and African/Caribbean heritage, who have made invaluable contribution to the development of The Bahamas.
“When we are talking about our history, we have to know the value of our country and yes we have to find a way to recognise our heroes,” he said.
Other recommendations for the national heroes park are a portion of the Southern Recreational Grounds and a portion of the Botanical Gardens. The Bahamas National Trust has also been asked to identify areas around the islands to be designated as national parks.
The Prime Minister also called on Rev Fr Sebastian Campbell, chairman of the National Heroes Committee to work with the cultural commission towards this end.
“I trust that the challenge is going to be a wonderful occasion for us coming together in a very special way. It is an immeasurable and significant progress we are making,” he said.
To the recommendation of a National Honour System, the Prime Minster noted that the late Hon Paul Adderley refused The Queens’s Honours, including that of being a Queen’s Counsel.
“We have to have the national honours (designed) in a way that the nation picks, so that it transcends politics,” he said.
Also participating in the service were the Hon. Loretta Butler-Turner, Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition, member of the National Heroes Committee and granddaughter of the first Bahamian Governor-General Sir Milo Butler; the Government High School band and the Aquinas College school choir.
In response to their performances, the Prime Minister noted how talented Bahamian children are and that they too need to know about the “good” stories of those who helped to build this country.
© Copyright 2012 by thebahamasweekly.com
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