Public asked to forward nominations for 2010
Six St. Maarten residents will be receiving a royal decoration, on the occasion of Queen’s birthday, this year.
The recipients are being honored for their valuable contribution to community work and outstanding achievements.
The presentation of the royal decorations is scheduled for Wednesday April 29th when a special ceremony, which is held annually, is to take place at the Governor’s Mansion on Little Bay road.
Meanwhile, the general public, organizations, associations and institutions are reminded to submit recommendations for nominees for 2010, to the Royal Decorations Advisory Committee, RODAC. Special forms, which must be filled in accurately, are available from the committee.
When making recommendations about nominations for royal decorations, it is important that the following is taken into consideration:
1. The nomination form must be completed with all information regarding the person being nominated.
2. All information, requested on the form, must be completed about the person or organization making the proposal.
3. The information on the nominee must be completed on a separate sheet and must be as extensive as possible, with specific periods and data of the activities of the nominee.
4. The activities of the nominee must cover a period of no less than 15 (fifteen) years.
5. The activities of the nominee must be carried out voluntarily and must impact the community, as a whole, or particular sections of the community.
6. The amount of time that the nominee spends on these activities per week or per month must also be mentioned.
7. Most important: The nominee must still be actively involved with the activities mentioned at this time.
8. A photo of the nominee must accompany the proposal.
9. Incomplete forms cannot be accepted and will not be processed.
These requirements have been stipulated by the entity which assesses all nominations for royal decorations, known as the Chapter of the Civil Honors Advisory Commission, in Holland.
The general public is asked to submit the nomination in a timely manner, since it takes a lengthy period to evaluate a nomination.
Once the nomination is received, the RODAC committee issues recommendations on all nominations to the Governor of the island territory.
The Governor of the island territory then prepares a proposal and sends the file with relevant information to the National Decorations Committee. This Committee issues its advice on the nomination and forwards the file to the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles.
The Council of Ministers submits the nomination, with its own proposal, to the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles, who along with a recommendation, sends it to the Minister of Governmental Renewal and Kingdom Relations in the Netherlands.
After a favorable recommendation has been made, a suggestion can be made about the order and class of decoration to be conferred.
The minister presents the nomination to the Civil Orders Advisory Commission. This independent body, which carries a great deal of weight, issues a recommendation on the nomination, and presents it to the minister in charge.
If the minister’s decision is positive, the Royal Decoration is granted by Royal Decree.
There are several categories of Royal Decorations.
Royal Decorations for exceptional or outstanding services to the community are divided into the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands and the Order of Orange-Nassau.
Who qualifies for which order is determined by the kind of service rendered and whether it was, in any way, exceptional or outstanding.
The Order of the Lion of the Netherlands is divided into three classes of Knighthood: Knight Grand Cross, Commander and Knight.
This order can be conferred on people who have rendered exceptional services to the community, often through achievements or efforts springing from special talents that are of great public benefit. Examples include pioneering research and innovative entrepreneurship.
The Order of Orange-Nassau is divided into six classes: Knight Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, Knight and Member.
The Order of Orange-Nassau can be conferred on people who have rendered outstanding services to the community for a considerable period. They are often people who carry out voluntary work for all manners of civil society organizations; they are not only members of a board but are ordinary people who keep these organizations up and running.