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The Opposition Barbados Labour Party has suggested to Government that Grammy Award winner Rihanna be awarded the Gold Crown of Excellence.

The suggestion has come from Shadow Minister of Culture, Cynthia Forde, while congratulating the young singer for her success last week at the international awards ceremony in the United States.

In suggesting that Rihanna be confirmed with the national honour, Forde explained that the Gold Crown of Excellence was reserved for Barbadians who distinguished themselves and Barbados in the preceding year through outstanding or exceptional achievement.

The St Thomas representative and former Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, said: “There can be no question about Rihanna’s meteoric rise on the global entertainment stage in 2007. Her chart topping, multi-million record sales and compelling music videos culminated in the ultimate accolade for the music industry — a Grammy — all the while this Barbadian teenager, who will celebrate her 20th Birthday tomorrow February 20th, has never forgotten Barbados, or indeed her Bajan accent.”

Forde supported, in principle, Government’s plans to recognise Rihanna’s success with a national concert on Thursday but urged that she be given a national honour that would “cement her place in our history books while embodying the new generation of Barbadians whose dreams have propelled them to new global frontiers in a way that many of our national heroes yearned for our people and our small but powerful nation”.

The Shadow Minister of Culture congratulated Rihanna on her professionalism and hard work, which she described as essential ingredients to success no matter how talented she may.

“Talent is only potential if it is not harnessed with discipline,” Forde added.

Forde said she also felt that Rihanna’s “body of work in the short period of three years spoke eloquently of the Barbadian qualities of pride and industry and certainly makes Rihanna a natural ambassador of Barbados”.