Coat of arms a badge of identity

THE EDITOR: The Prime Minister’s recent announcement was that he would like us, the citizens, to fall in line and accept a change in the coat of arms. Clearly, it is an assault on the national psyche that one of the symbols of our nationhood can be altered by the wave of a hand from a national leader. But it must not be done by one individual nor by one political party.

A coat of arms is a badge of identity. In other words, it is sacred to a person, a family or a nation. There are precedents for such changes in TT.

When the British coat of arms was removed and the coat of arms of independent TT was first created, a committee was formed to make the transition. The late eminent artistes Carlyle Chang and George Bailey were among those given the responsibility.

Likewise, when TT changed its highest award from the Trinity Cross to the Order of TT, Professor Emerita Dr Bridget Brereton was chosen to make recommendations.

Now the National Advisory Committee on Constitutional Reform did not make any recommendation for a change in the coat of arms. So where did the Prime Minister get the authority to speak as he did?

Indeed, there is supposed to be a public consultation, organised by the Cabinet Committee on Statues, Monuments and Signages, on August 28 at the Government Plaza, Port of Spain. But that is only for two hours, though citizens were supposed to have submitted recommendations before. Have there been any submissions?

From my point of view, it is unfortunate that we continue to be a people who really don’t have a sense of direction. I would have thought that as an independent nation we would have vibrant and compulsory courses of history taught at every level of education. After all, that was a critical message more than 50 years ago during the revolution (Black Power) of 1970.

For example, there can be no question about who Columbus was, but I was amused when I heard that two very popular morning radio show hosts did not know to what nation Columbus belonged. I was further alarmed when a UWI history professor made a colossal blooper and suggested that the tassa be put on the coat of arms alongside the steelpan.

If we continue this way, we would end up with a lot of people who may not even know who was the first prime minister of this country. I doubt that the PNM would want that legacy on its hands.

AIYEGORO OME

Mt Lambert