Issued by: SA Communication Service
MEDIA STATEMENT REGARDING THE CONFERRING OF THE ORDER OF BERNARDO O'HIGGINS GREAT CROSS BY THE AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE ON MR A M OMAR MP, MINISTER OF JUSTICE
Mr A M Omar MP, Minister of Justice is to be highly honoured by the Government and people of Chile through the awarding on him of the Bernardo O'Higgins order of the Great Cross.
This award is to be formally conferred to Minister Omar, on behalf of President Frei, by Ambassador Jorge Heine, in a ceremony to be held at his residence in Cape Town on Tuesday, 25 June 1996.
The Bernardo O'Higgins order - named after Chile's Founding Father and main leader of their independence struggle in the early nineteenth century - originated in the Bernardo O'Higgins Medal established in 1956 to distinguish foreign citizens who have made significant contributions in the arts, sciences, education, industry or humanitarian and social co-operation. The Great Cross is its highest rank and is conferred by the President of the Republic of Chile and proposed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile.
The Republic of Chile has indicated that Mr Omar is to be honoured in the above-mentioned manner for his relentless efforts in championing the cause of those who had been deprived of access to justice in South Africa. His personal commitment to this cause has done much to advance South Africa's progress towards a fully democratic order and to make South Africa a fairer and more just society.
ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE CAPE TOWN, JUNE 1996
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