IT  is only when Guyanese bond as one and together recognize their wholeness as a people, and their belonging to a nation that is a tapestry of many races and cultures that the potential for great beauty and unstoppable progress will be appreciated.
And this Guyanese wholeness was truly reflected at the Investiture ceremony for the 2011 National Awardees which took place yesterday afternoon at the National Cultural Centre, Homestretch Avenue.  There, His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo affixed the insignias of the various categories to the awardees.
It was at this simple, but very important, ceremony that one recognised the wholeness of our Guyanese society when national cricketing hero, Ramnarace Sarwan received a roar of appreciation from the audience when his name was called for his Medal of Service.
Those who perceive ours as a divided nation should have been there to experience the love and approbation of Guyanese for their own “hero”.  The same happened when Hugh Ross received his award.  In the words of Dave Martins, these sporting heroes are “we own.”
Likewise, PM Sam Hinds, who received an involuntary standing ovation from every person in the audience, with no prompting whatsoever, proving that if one is decent, inherently good, humane, and gives service above oneself to one’s country and countrymen, as PM Sam has done, in his own quiet and unobtrusive way over the years, respect and affection eventually follow.
And when the President embraced the father figure and co-leader of his first extremely difficult years in the highest office in the land – with the daunting task assigned to him by the Jagans of taking Guyana forward on the development trajectory they had outlined in the PPP/C Manifesto, on the eve of his demitting that office with much accomplished and much left to be accomplished, the poignancy of the moment and that embrace was not lost.  It was a silent thanks given and received in full public view.
Notable also that President Jagdeo had warmly embraced Mrs. Yvonne Hinds when he bestowed her award, because she had also, in the unwavering support that she provided her husband over the years, consequently lent support to the President’s efforts to rebuild the country and chart it on a progressive path toward prosperity.  In effect, she had been the First Lady of the nation during the entire tenure of Bharrat Jagdeo’s presidency.
Most likely, Prime Minister Hinds and Mrs. Yvonne Hinds would have liked to spend more time with their children and grandchildren, because they have both given more than their share of service to this nation.  That they are prepared and willing to continue to serve their country is what the investiture honours are all about.
It is this quality of giving to humanity and serving people above self; as well as exceptional achievement that separate those worthy of these awards from those recipients who, like the cuckoo, are in a nest in which they do not belong and do not merit.
The list of National Awardees was advertised in May. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds headed it with the Order of Excellence (OE), the nation’s highest award. He was followed by Minister of Legal Affairs, Charles Ramson and Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh with the Order of Roraima (OR) – the nation’s second highest award.
Receiving the Cacique Crown of Honour besides Dr. Desrey Fox were Bank of Guyana Governor, Lawrence Williams; Chief Statistician, Lennox Benjamin; Donna Yearwood; Clyde Roopchand; Acting Chief Justice, Ian Chang; GRA Commissioner-General, Khurshid Sattaur; Professors Nigel Harris and Clement Sankat; Malcolm Parris; Phillip Moore; Miles Fitzpatrick; and Clinton Collymore.
The Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA) went to Dr. Edward Green of CARICOM; Dr. Cyril Solomon; former ambassador to Suriname, Karshanjee Arjun; Thakur Danny Doobay; Brentnol Evans; Ambassador Elisabeth Harper; Brian Tiwari; Captain Gerald Gouveia; Deo Persaud; Alfro Alphonso; Chunilall Baboolall; Sean Hopkinson; Edmond Vieira; Glen Khan; Aubrey Stephenson; Professor David Dabydeen; Dunstan Barrow; Carvil Duncan; Dr. Arlington Chesney.
The award bestowed on His Holiness Swami Vidyanandji Maharaj (Guruji) would be personally conferred on him by the President on November 2 in New York.
The Medal of Service (MS) went to Mrs. Yvonne Hinds; Dorothy Faria; Diane Ferreira James; Nicolette Fernandes; Victor Ferreira; Winslow Craig; Ameena Gafoor; Stephanie Fraser; Don Gomes; Hugh Ross; Michael Charles, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dr. Vindihya Persaud, James Wren Gilkes, June Griffith, Aliann Pompey, Andrew Lewis, Michael Parris, Elfrieda Bissember, Frank Woon-a-Tai, Paloma Mohamed, Phillip Gajedhar, Al Creighton, Egbert Carter, Shirley Edwards, Parbhu Dyal Sattan, Yvonne Pearson, Bishop Juan Edghill, George Subraj, Ramnarine Ramroop, Indra Chandarpal, Randy Choo-She-Nam, Derek Williams, Vibert de Souza, Reuben Gilbert, Aleema Nasir, Gharpaul Persaud, John Palmer, Jenny Ribeiro, Irene Wilson, Pooran Persaud, Joycelyn Anderson, Desiree Wyles-Ogle, Yvonne Raghoo, Mohandatt Goolsarran, Juliet Persico, Dr. Faye Clarke, Ann Greene, Ulric Donald Jacobs, Mohamed Osman Ali, Wilfred Success, Yvonne Hercules, Maydha Persaud, Deeneshwar Persaud, Monica-Fraser Carmichael, Ramdat Nandkishore, Colleen Anderson, Marva Hawker, Dr. Holly Alexander, Panday Persaud, Cedric Smith, Richard Verbeke, Ramsahai Ramnarine (Hardat), Ramesh Ramlakhan, David Mangra and Keith Emmanuel Crawford.
Group Awards for the Medal of Service (MS) went to Help and Shelter, Food for the Poor, Sisters of Mercy, the Guyana Relief Council, the Salvation Army Guyana Division, Phoenix Recovery, Mothers in Black, the National Library, the Guyana Women’s Artists Association, President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana, Kashif and Shanghai and the Indian Cultural and Social Organisation of West Demerara.
For the military top honours, Commodore Gary Best received the Military Service Star (MSS), while Colonel Bruce Lovell was accorded the Military Service Medal (MSM), along with Colonel Mark Phillips, Captain John Flores, Captain George Lewis, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Abraham, Commander Godfrey George, Lieutenant Colonel Windee Algernon, Lieutenant Colonel Khemraj Persaud and Lieutenant Colonel Enoch Gaskin.
For the Disciplined Services top honours, Commissioner of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Henry Greene received the Disciplined Services Star (DSS), while Assistant Commissioners Leroy Brummel, Seelall Persaud, Gavin Primo and George Vyphius, along with Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle and Senior Superintendent of Prisons, Colin Howard received the Disciplined Services Medal (DSM).
In his statement as Chancellor of the Orders of Guyana, His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo pleaded for Guyanese to recognise that we are a proud people who can achieve much if we work together.
He urged that differing political persuasions should not make us turn against each other, because, ultimately, everyone has to help in shaping the new Guyana during this transitory stage to development. 
He lauded the unique characteristics of the Guyanese people and urged the audience to relegate the politics of disunity to the past where it belongs and take examples from the youths of the nation, who are bonding in camaraderie because they are not allowing the prejudices of the past to impact their psyche – individually and collectively.  This, he said, is reflecting the characterisation of the true Guyanese nationhood.