The Most Distinguished Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean is the highest distinct

order of merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

in the honours system of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It inc ...

established under the National Awards Act 1993. It was founded in 1992 to decorate people who have made a contribution to social progress in the nations of the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

. It may be awarded to non-Mauritian citizens.

Chancellor

The

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law co ...

of the order is the President of the Republic of Mauritius. Each year on

Independence day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

(12 March) the president of the republic appoints new members on the recommendation of the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Labour Day Labour Day (''Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...

has a special significance to the order as it relates to the hardship of people working for their country. On Labour Day 2007 the Malagasy President Marc Ramalomanana was appointed to the rank of Grand Commander, the highest rank of the order.

Privileges

Recipients of the rank of Grand Officer or above are automatically entitled to prefix ''The Hon'', ''Hons'' or ''The Honourable'' to their name. Commanders and Officers may request permission from the president to use this prefix. Recipients of the order who are not Mauritian citizens may not use the prefix or post-nominals unless granted permission by the president.

Composition

The Order comprises five classes, in descending order of seniority: * Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GCSK) * Grand Officer of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GOSK) * Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (CSK) * Officer of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (OSK) * Member of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (MSK)

Composition of the medal

Recipients

;Grand Commanders of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GCSK) Grand Officers of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GOSK)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of The Star And Key Of The Indian Ocean Orders, decorations, and medals of Mauritius