Dear Editor,

Does it seem strange at first glance that the legendary Bob Marley, the undisputed king of reggae music, who many strongly believe should be made a national hero, was awarded the Order of Merit by the Jamaican Government when many artistes far less accomplished have been honoured with the Order of Distinction?

“Merit” is the quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially to deserve praise or reward. “Distinction”, by contrast, highlights excellence that sets someone or something apart from others. There is no doubt “distinction” does indicate a higher level of achievement when compared to “merit”. Academic achievements in many tertiary institutions range from (lowest to highest) pass, to merit, to distinction.

Our national honours rank from (lowest to highest):

• Medal of Honour

• Badge of Honour

• Order of Distinction

• Order of Jamaica

• Order of Merit

• Order of Excellence (awarded to foreign heads of Government and is ranked equally with our second highest honour)

• Order of the Nation (reserved for Jamaican prime ministers and governors general)

• National Hero (the ultimate honour)

Based on its current ranking, the Order of Merit, I think, should be renamed the Order of Jamaica, Commander class. Outstanding achievers like Byron Lee and R Danny Williams of blessed memory, Rita Marley, Dr Godfrey Dyer, and Dr Usain Bolt, and other distinguished recipients of the Order of Jamaica would still keep and enjoy the new status of Officers of the Order of Jamaica.

Recipients of our fourth-highest honour, Order of Merit, like Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley, Professor Rex Nettleford, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, and others recognised for excellence would still remain conferred with the previous Order of Merit. But the new Commander of the Order of Jamaica (COJ) would be automatically added. New awardees to this rank would be honoured with only the COJ.

I think Officer or Commander of the Order of Jamaica has a more majestic and triumphant quality than the Order of Merit. What do you think?

Daive R Facey

dr.Facey@gmail.com