Barbados’ first female Prime Minister (PM), Mia Amor Mottley, was on Monday awarded with Guyana’s second-highest national award, the Order of Roraima, in recognition of her outstanding and valuable service to Guyana and the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
Guyana’s Chief Justice, Yonette Cummings Edwards, who chairs the Advisory Council of the Orders of Guyana, in brief remarks at the ceremony to confer the national award said that Prime Minister Mottley was singled out for the Order of Roraima award since her credentials show an impressive list of achievements and a number of “firsts.”
“As an attorney-at-law, Queens Counsel, and the youngest Queens Council in Barbados, Member of Parliament, having the distinction of being one of the youngest Barbadians to be assigned a ministerial portfolio as the Minister of Education. PM Mottley has been hailed as a visionary in the education sector and in youth development, having served as Attorney General and as Deputy Prime Minister and first female to hold that position. PM Mottley was also the first female Opposition Leader and Party Leader of Barbados and now PM Mottley is the Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom,” Justice Cummings Edwards stated.
She pointed out that PM Mottley has been passionate about regional integration and has strongly presented the economic interest of the Caribbean.
“…This distinguished daughter of the Caribbean soil has exemplified dedication to duty and service in the region.”
Meanwhile, President David Granger, who is the Chancellor of the Orders of Guyana, reiterated that the conferral of Guyana’s Order of Roraima on Barbados’ PM exemplifies the essential elements of the historical, fraternal relations between the two Caribbean States. In her response, PM Mottley expressed gratitude at being bestowed such an honour by Guyana, and pointed out that it was cooperation and collaboration between her country and Guyana many years ago that helped Barbados thrive.
“I accept this honour not on my own behalf but on behalf of the people of Barbados. I am conscious that it is the people in Barbados over the course of centuries that have worked with the people of Guyana… it was Guyanese who in the 1950s and 1960s led the industrialisation of Barbados with banks and the garment industry and across a wide range of industries.”
She also recommitted Barbados’ position to continue fruitful relations with Guyana as the two countries embark on policies and programmes that should also assist other Caricom countries. Mottley is the second Barbadian PM to receive the Order of Roraima after Freundel Stuart in 2016.
Guyanese treatment
While Mottley has been awarded Guyana’s second highest national award, her country, more so its immigration service at the Grantley Adams International Airport has been called out for its treatment of Guyanese visiting the island. Over the years, Guyanese have complained about the hostility and cruelty they are faced with when visiting the sister Caricom member state. In some instances, Guyanese, who have been denied entry into the island, have been left sitting on a bench for hours as they await a return flight to Guyana.
Jamaican, Shanique Myrie had sued the Barbadian Government after she was subjected to a dehumanising cavity search at Grantley Adams International Airport in 2011.
Myrie in her lawsuit stated that she was locked in a filthy room where she had to spend the night and was deported to Jamaica 24 hours later. She was eventually awarded damages in the sum of US$38,000 by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
