Dear Editor,
Guyana abolished British awards after it became a republic, and a few knights who were named in the colonial days were not too happy that they were not allowed to use their ‘Sirs’ while they were affiliated to the Forbes Burnham administration. One of them was Sir Lionel Luckhoo, brilliant lawyer and diplomat who in the evening of his years became a preacher.
Luckhoo was one of Burnham’s close advisors, and he could not use ‘Sir’ in front of his name because the late President insisted that he must be addressed as ‘Comrade.’
Some of Luckhoo’s associates jokingly addressed him as ‘Comrade Sir Lionel,’ and said that he was the only socialist knight on the planet. The Guyana government introduced local awards such as Order of Excellence (OE), the highest, then the Order of Roraima (OR), after that the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH), followed by the Arrow of Achievement (AA) and Merit of Service (MS).
Of course these local national honours are not always awarded to persons who deserve them; instead some politicians and friends of politicians are recognized rather than persons who should be honoured such as broadcaster Hugh Cholomondeley, folklorist Wordsworth McAndrew, Eusi Kwayana and several others.
However, Guyana is not the only country where friends of politicians are honoured. Last week the outgoing Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, Dame Louis Lake Teck bestowed nine Knighthoods and Dames on recipients, which prompted the new Prime Minister, Gaston Brown to issue a statement that he will revoke the appointments since the awards were made contrary to the National Honours Act 1998.
The Prime Minister said that Lake Teck’s action was “lawless” and advised the new Governor General Sir Rodney Williams to take swift action to rescind them. Some of the awardees for other awards (not necessarily Knighthoods and Dames) do not merit national honours and it is reported that some of the recipients were closely connected to the former Governor General including her gardener, secretary and two outriders. One of the knights is her brother, who is hardly known in the country.
This brings me to the question of the awards of knighthood by the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados. Some of those who were given such high honour do not merit such prestigious awards and it is said that ‘Knights’ are being “watered down” in those two Caribbean countries. Recently three cricketers, Andy Roberts, Curtly Ambrose, and Richie Richardson were honoured and several cricketers in Barbados including Wes Hall, Conrad Hunte, Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott and a few others were also in that elite club. Sir Frank Worrell and Sir Garfield Sobers were knighted by the Queen of England. Several other Barbadians, including trade unionists, university professors, lawyers and doctors were also knighted by the government.
St Vincent and the Grenadines still retains British titles. Three politicians, Sir James Mitchell, Sir Vincent Beache and Sir Louis Straker, were awarded the highest honour of knighthood by the Queen on the recommendation of the government. Two of them were being questioned by Vincentians.
Yours faithfully,
Oscar Ramjeet
