Respect our flag

THE EDITOR: The 2018 CPL T20 cricket tournament has come and gone and in the midst of some exciting cricket we partied to the max. Congratulations go out to the organisers, the eventual champions, the Trinbago Knight Riders, and all the other teams for a grand show.

But lost in all the euphoria was what appeared to be a lack of awareness by many fans that the teams, even though they carried the names of the countries in which their franchises were based, were not national teams. For if they were aware, they would never have disrespected their respective national flags.

Some might see nothing wrong, claiming it was all done with fun in mind. But I would advise them that we must never trivialise our national flag, which is not just another piece of cloth; it is sacred and we must be proud of it. It must only represent total national efforts and celebrations.

In the first independence speech in 1962, our late prime minister Dr Eric Williams told us that our national flag belongs to everyone of us. So when I saw it being waved antagonistically in the faces of our own nationals who were

playing on opposing teams, I wondered about the silent pain players like Pollard, Emrit, Simmons and the rest might have felt, and I cringed.

I would kindly ask our people to resist the urge to take our national flag to future events of a similar nature and obtain a franchise flag instead.

Patriotism starts with the pride and respect we hold for our national flag. Never desecrate it.

OSWALD GALLION via e-mail