The Most Illustrious Order of Merit is an Antiguan and Barbudan

order of merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

recognising meritorious service to

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

, the Caricom region or the international community. It was established and constituted by the

Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda The Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda () consists of the King of Antigua and Barbuda, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Section 27 of the Constitution establishes the Parliament. Parliament has the authority to enact laws for Antigu ...

under the National Honours Act 1998. which received

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

from the

Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda The governor-general of Antigua and Barbuda is the representative of the monarch of Antigua and Barbuda, currently Charles III. The governor-general is nominated by the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, prime minister, and appointed by th ...

on 31 December 1998.

History

The predecessors of the Order of Merit were the Order of Distinction and the Order of Honour established and constituted by the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda under the National Awards Act 1987. This Act was repealed and the Order of Merit was established and constituted under the National Honours Act 1998, which was amended in 2000, 2001 and 2015. Persons who were members of the Order of Distinction and the Order of Honour before the 1998 Act came into force became respectively Grand Crosses and Members of the Order of Merit.

Composition

The Order is composed of the Chancellor and five classes of members, in descending order of precedence, as follows: # Grand Cross (GCM) # Grand Officer (GOM) # Commander (CM) # Officer (OM) # Member (MM) The

is ''ex officio'' Chancellor of the Order. Membership is open to citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and citizens of other countries.

Officers

The Order has four officers who compose the Chancery of the Order, as follows:{{cn, date=January 2016 * Chancellor * Secretary General * Antigua Herald * Barbuda Herald

Appointments

Appointments to the Order are made by the Chancellor on the advice of the

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is the head of government of the Antigua and Barbuda. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is appointed by the Governor-General. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet, selects its ministers, an ...

and the Honours Committee established under the 1998 Act. The Honours Committee consists of a person appointed by the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, two Members of the

Senate of Antigua and Barbuda A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the eld ...

and four Members of the

House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda The House of Representatives () is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral parliament. Each of the constituencies created in accordance with section 62 of the Constitution shall elect one representative to the House in a direct election in ...

. The Governor-General appoints the Chairperson of the Honours Committee from amongst its members. Posthumous appointments to the Order may be made, but a deceased recipient does not appear on the current list of members of the Order. New appointments are announced each year on the occasion of the

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

of Antigua and Barbuda (1 November). The Grand Master conducts investitures at

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

in St. John's.

Precedence and privileges

Post-nominals and precedence

Members of the Order are entitled to place post-nominals after their names as indicated above. They are also assigned a place in the order of precedence of Antigua and Barbuda.

Heraldic privileges

Grand Crosses may petition for heraldic supporters to be granted to their arms. They may also encircle their arms with a circlet bearing the motto of the Order. Grand Officers and Commanders may encircle their arms with the circlet. The pendent insignia of the Order may be shown below the arms of all members of the Order.

References

Orders, decorations, and medals of Antigua and Barbuda Orders of merit Awards established in 1998 1998 establishments in Antigua and Barbuda