The making of a nat'l hero

Section three of The National Honours and Awards Act (1969) states that "there shall be six societies of honour, namely - the Order of National Hero; the Order of the Nation; the Order of Excellence; the Order of Merit; the Order of Jamaica and the Order of Distinction.

Further, section five states that "there shall be an advisory committee for the purposes of the Order of National Hero. The provisions of the first schedule shall have effect as to the constitution of the advisory committee and otherwise in relation thereto. It shall be the duty of the advisory committee, with a view to the proper carrying out of the provisions of this Act relating to the Order of National Hero - to make such investigations as it thinks fit to determine persons, living or dead, upon whom may be conferred the honour of National Hero; and to report to the prime minister the result of those investigations".

Then section six speaks to the parameters for declaring a national hero.

It says: "Subject to the provisions of subsection three, the governor general may by instrument under the broad seal confer the honour of National Hero upon any person who was born in Jamaica or is, or at the time of his death was, a citizen of Jamaica and rendered to Jamaica service of the most distinguished nature ... The honour of National Hero may be conferred upon a person posthumously or during his lifetime".

Then "every person upon whom the honour of National Hero has been conferred shall be entitled to wear as a decoration the prescribed insignia of the Order of National Hero; to be styled 'Rt. Excellent'.

Universal Negro Improvement Association founder Marcus Garvey was declared Jamaica's first national hero in 1964.

- MC