Jamaican Order of Merit
Encyclopedia
The Order of Merit is part of the Jamaican honours system
and is the third highest honour conferred by the nation of Jamaica
. The Order of Merit is conferred upon Jamaicans or on distinguished citizen of another country who has achieved eminent international distinction in the field of science, arts, literature or any other endeavour. The award can be held by no more than 15 living persons. Members and Honorary Members of the Order are entitled to wear the insignia of the order as a decoration and to be styled as The Honourable. In addition, they can append the postnominal letters OM to their names, or OM(Hon) in the case of Honorary Members. The order's motto is "He that does the truth comes into the light."
The Order of Merit was originally one that was awarded to foreign heads of state, however this role was taken over by the Order of Excellence
in 2003.
Jamaican honours system
The Jamaican honours system has developed as a unique entity since the passage of the National Honours and Awards Act by the Parliament of Jamaica in 1969 . The system is modelled largely on the British honours system...
and is the third highest honour conferred by the nation of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The Order of Merit is conferred upon Jamaicans or on distinguished citizen of another country who has achieved eminent international distinction in the field of science, arts, literature or any other endeavour. The award can be held by no more than 15 living persons. Members and Honorary Members of the Order are entitled to wear the insignia of the order as a decoration and to be styled as The Honourable. In addition, they can append the postnominal letters OM to their names, or OM(Hon) in the case of Honorary Members. The order's motto is "He that does the truth comes into the light."
The Order of Merit was originally one that was awarded to foreign heads of state, however this role was taken over by the Order of Excellence
Order of Excellence
The Order of Excellence is one of the six civil decorations of Jamaica which are awarded annually to "deserving citizens." The Order of Excellence is the most recent honor to be created, having been brought into being in 2003...
in 2003.
Living
- Fidel CastroFidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
- Anthony Chen (2008)
- Jimmy CliffJimmy CliffJimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
- Dr. Albert Belville Lockhart: co-inventor of Canasol
- Sir Meredith Alister McIntyre
- Mervyn MorrisMervyn MorrisMervyn Eustace Morris OM is a poet and professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.- Biography :...
- Sir Shridath RamphalShridath RamphalSir Shridath Surendranath "Sonny" Ramphal, GCMG, AC, ONZ, OE, OM, QC, FRSA served as the second Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1975-1990. Ramphal previously served as the Foreign Minister of Guyana from 1972-1975...
- Edward RobinsonEdward Robinson-Elected officials:*Edward Robinson , American Whig politician*Edward Robinson , Irish-born Canadian Liberal politician...
(2008) - M. G. SmithM. G. SmithMichael Garfield Smith OM was a Jamaican poet and social anthropologist. Smith was the son of a descendant of English army officers and merchants, and his mother a 'coloured' nurse who died in childbirth. Smith served as Franklin M. Crosby Professor Emeritus of the Human Environment at Yale...
- Derek WalcottDerek WalcottDerek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC is a Saint Lucian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2011 for White Egrets. His works include the Homeric epic Omeros...
- Professor Manley Elisha West: co-inventor of Canasol
- Sir Willard WhiteWillard WhiteSir Willard Wentworth White, OM, CBE is a Jamaican-born British bass-baritone.-Early life:He was born into a poor but supportive Jamaican family in Kingston. His father was a dockworker, his mother a housewife. White first began to learn music by listening to the radio and singing Nat King Cole...
(2000) - Dr. Cicely Williams
Deceased
- Roland AlphonsoRoland AlphonsoRoland Alphonso O.D. or Rolando Alphonso aka The Chief Musician was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist, and one of the founding members of The Skatalites....
- Louise Bennett-CoverleyLouise Bennett-CoverleyLouise Simone Bennett-Coverley or Miss Lou, OM, OJ, MBE was a Jamaican folklorist, writer, and educator. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica and attended Ebenezer and Calabar Elementary Schools, St...
(2001) - Rev. William KnibbWilliam KnibbWilliam Knibb , English Baptist minister and missionary to Jamaica, is chiefly known for his work to free slaves.-Missionary in Jamaica:...
- Dr. Thomas Lecky
- Edna ManleyEdna ManleyEdna Manley OM was a sculptor and contributor to Jamaican culture, as well as the wife of Norman Manley, the founder of the Jamaican People's National Party. She is often considered the "mother of Jamaican art". She is the daughter of English cleric Harvey Swithenbank and a Jamaican woman by the...
(1980) - Michael ManleyMichael ManleyMichael Norman Manley ON OCC was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica . Manley was a democratic socialist....
- Bob MarleyBob MarleyRobert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
- Herb McKenleyHerb McKenleyCompetitor for JamaicaHerbert Henry "Herb" McKenley OM was a Jamaican athlete, winner of a gold medal in the 4x400 m relay at the 1952 Summer Olympics....
(2004) - Rex NettlefordRex NettlefordRalston Milton "Rex" Nettleford, OM ,FIJ, OCC, was a Jamaican scholar, social critic, choreographer, and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of The University of the West Indies , the leading research university in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Born in Falmouth, Jamaica, Nettleford...
- Mary SeacoleMary SeacoleMary Jane Seacole , sometimes known as Mother Seacole or Mary Grant, was a Jamaican nurse best known for her involvement in the Crimean War. She set up and operated boarding houses in Panama and the Crimea to assist in her desire to treat the sick...
- Sir Philip Sherlock (1989)
- M. G. SmithM. G. SmithMichael Garfield Smith OM was a Jamaican poet and social anthropologist. Smith was the son of a descendant of English army officers and merchants, and his mother a 'coloured' nurse who died in childbirth. Smith served as Franklin M. Crosby Professor Emeritus of the Human Environment at Yale...
(1972) - Carl Stone (1993)