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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
REMARKS The Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis Prime Minister Commonwealth of the Bahamas
2020 National Honours
Government House
19 November 2020 9:30 A.M. Your Excellency: I thank you and the staff of Government House for your hospitality. Ordinarily, the annual National Honors ceremony would merit a larger celebration. But, we are not living in ordinary times. We find ourselves in an unprecedented time in the contemporary Bahamas. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the deaths or ill-health of millions around the world, including the deaths and infection of a number of our fellow citizens. The pandemic has caused unprecedented economic and social distress and dislocation. Yet, in the midst of the pandemic, it is good that we are here today to acknowledge and to celebrate noteworthy Bahamians who have given exceptional service and contributed significantly to national development. Because of the pandemic, today’s ceremony is necessarily brief and considerably smaller, with various health measures utilized to safeguard attendees. Your Excellency: The Father of Labour, Sir Randol Fawkes, who is posthumously being honored as a member of the Order of National Hero, once noted: “Once I had found my people, I could have no peace of mind until I had become a part of their struggle and transmitted their heritage to future generations.” Sir Randol’s words, which was a part of his life mission, represents the courage and dedication to country of the other men and women we honour this morning. Today, we honour, posthumously, as Companions of the Order of the Bahamas: The Hon. Paul Adderley and Sir Alvin Braynen. We also honour, the Hon. John Henry Bostwick, QC., who is still happily with us. Like Sir Randol, Messrs. Adderley, Braynen and Bostwick lent their considerable talents, patriotic vigor and lifeblood to the liberation and development of the Bahamian people. Each, in his own way, was involved in the political and social struggle for equality and the advancement of a sovereign and free people. They were among that generation of Bahamians who gave fully of themselves in the promotion of the dignity of all Bahamians, regardless of creed or circumstance of birth. They did not simply debate the big questions of the day from the sidelines. They were not armchair critics who refused the call of history to make a difference and to make a vital contribution. All of these men read history and made history...TO CONTINUE SEE ATTACHED
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