Remarks by Prime Minister Hubert A. Ingraham
St. Bede’s Primary School
Friday 18th November, 2011
Thank you for inviting me to join you as you celebrate Flag Day. I am happy to share this time with you.
Boys and Girls:
The Bahamian flag is a symbol of our country. The Bahamas, as other countries – the United States of America, Canada, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and all the other countries around the world, has a national flag.
On Flag Day, we pay special attention to our national flag, for while we must be proud of our flag every day, on this Flag Day we take special pride in our country’s flag.
As your parents, guardians or grandparents will tell you, before The Bahamas became independent in 1973 we had to celebrate the flag of Great Britain because we were a colony of that country. The British were in charge of us then. In 1973 we became an independent nation in charge of our own affairs at home and abroad. Among the symbols of our nation are our National Anthem, our Pledge of Allegiance, our Coat of Arms and Motto and our National Flag – the Turquoise, Yellow and Black -representing the sea, the sun and the strength of a united people.
When I look at our flag I see the great beauty of our Bahamas with our many islands and beautiful waters with so many shades of blue. I see The Bahamas on a clear beautiful day filled with golden sunlight. And I see all that our beautiful islands have to offer:
Abaco, the island on which I grew up, is home to the beautiful Abaco Parrot; it has one of the longest underwater cave systems in our part of the world and is blessed with plenty fresh water and pine trees.
Andros, the largest island in The Bahamas, is the fifth largest island in the Caribbean. It is also fortunate to have plenty fresh water and many, many pine trees. Andros is home to a wondrous national park, home to the third largest barrier reef in the world and the Tongue of the Ocean.
Did you know that because of the lack of ground water here in New Providence, we have had to barge water from Andros for over 30 years? The water arrives at Arawak Cay and is then pumped into the water supply of the Water and Sewerage Corporation. Beginning next month, New Providence will begin to produce its own water using sea water. The sea water will be desalinated through a reverse osmosis or desalination process.
Bimini is among the world’s most famous sports fishing destinations and is also one of the alleged sites of the mythical lost city of Atlantis.
Cat Island has a rich cultural heritage of rake n’ scrape music and quadrille dance and is home to the Hermitage atop Como Hill or Mount Alvernia as it is also called.
Eleuthera, the first island settled by the British Eleutheran Adventurers, is today famous for its delicious pineapples. It has some of our most famous pink sand beaches. Among its other striking geographic features are the cliffs, the Glass Window Bridge and Preacher’s Cave where the Lucayan people, the first settlers in our islands, sought refuge and also buried their loved ones. Later, the Eleutheran Adventurers, the first British settlers in The Bahamas, also used the large cave for shelter, as a place of worship and as a burial ground for loved ones.
Exuma, the home of Pompey the slave who led an important revolt against slavery on that island, is today famous as the site of our first National Land and Sea Park.
Grand Bahama, island of my birth, is the site of the nation’s second city. The island is the home of the beautiful Lucaya National Park and of the botanical Garden of the Groves. It also has an important container transshipment port which receives cargo from all around the world in very large containers. The cargo is then broken into smaller bundles for shipping to other countries, primarily in North America. Two large oil storage and transshipment facilities also operate out of Grand Bahama.
Inagua, as you know, is the home of the flamingo, our national bird that thrives in the Inagua National Park. Inagua is also the location of the important salt industry.
Long Island is home to one of the world’s deepest blue holes.
San Salvador was the landfall of the first European explorers in the Americas, and
New Providence is the site of our Capital City and seat of Government.
There is something special about each of our beautiful islands but it is not possible for me to list and speak about each of them here today.
All of that is represented in our flag. So when you go abroad and see our flag, always remember that it represents all of the beauty of our islands. And it represents us, the people of The Bahamas.
This is why you should be proud of our flag. This flag belongs to you. It represents you. It represents your parents and grandparents. In treating the flag with respect you are showing respect for others as well as yourselves.
When you pledge allegiance to the flag, you are promising to love, be loyal and faithful to our country, and to work always to make it even better for all our citizens. In the words of the hymn “ I vow to thee my country – all earthly things above – Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love”.
Boys and Girls:
You should be aware that we have a number of flags in The Bahamas apart from our National Flag. Each is important. For example, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas has a special flag which we refer to as the Prime Minister’s standard. When I am at my office, the Prime Minister’s flag is raised. When I depart the office, the standard is lowered.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Customs Department also each have a flag.
Our national flag is the most important and honoured of our flags. It is raised at Government buildings each morning and lowered at sundown. Our flag is also flown at Government-operated schools and along public roadways especially on certain special occasions such as the celebration of our country’s Independence.
Our National Flag is also flown at private institutions including private and church-operated schools, banks or other businesses and by individual citizens, sometimes at their homes.
There are many rules for the proper display of national flags. Some of the rules for flying national flags include the following:
When a national flag is displayed together with any other flags, it must be hoisted first and lowered last.
When a national flag is displayed together with the national flags of other countries, all the flags should be of equal size and must be flown at an equal height, although the national flag of the host country should be flown in the position of honour – in the center of an odd number of flagstaffs or at the far right of an even number of flagstaffs.
When a national flag is displayed together with another flag or flags in procession, the national flag must be on the marching right. If there is a row of flags, it should be in the position of honour.
When a national flag is flown after sunset, it should be illuminated by a strong light.
In short, a national flag must never be treated with disrespect. When not being flown, it should be neatly folded and secured for safe-keeping.
You may have noticed that sometimes when a very important person dies, the flag is lowered to half-mast to show respect for that person. And on occasion the national flag is draped on a casket of a fallen law enforcement officer, a member of parliament or of other citizens who gave a life time of faithful service for the nation.
Boys and Girls:
Blessed by a beautiful geography and free from war and civil strife, The Bahamas is the envy of many countries. We must never become puffed up because of this. Instead, we must work harder to protect what we have.
Celebrating Flay Day is meant to promote national unity, encourage national pride, and develop greater patriotism in terms of respect for national symbols. When you look at the flag you should get a feeling of pride about being distinctly Bahamian and loving it.
That pride quickens and grows whenever we learn about great achievements of Bahamians – like when our women athletes won gold medals at the Olympics in Australia, Bahamians everywhere had chills of pride run down their spines as the Bahamian flag was raised over the Olympic stadium to the strains of our national anthem. When our athletes win medals they often raise the Bahamian flag for the entire world to see. What the world sees is a small country such as ours whose industrious and hard-working citizens have accomplished so much.
Indeed, we feel a sense of national pride whenever our athletes enter any international competition carrying our flag high whether at the Olympics, the World Games, the Commonwealth Games, the CAC Games or Carifta. This is because our flag represents us and the many accomplishments we have achieved as a nation.
But our flag does not only represent us at sports competitions. When I look at the Bahamian flag, I see all that is distinctly Bahamian. It gives me a rush of pride whenever I see our national colours displayed across the seas and the continents of the world – at international organizations, conference centres, and on sides of huge and imposing cruise and cargo ships on the Bahamian Ship Register.
And, I feel that same pride when I learn of the accomplishment of a Bahamian Rhodes Scholar or the success of a Bahamian artist, writer or poet whether here at home or internationally.
Our flag also represents us when Bahamian musicians – whether the Bahamas Youth or Children’s Choirs or Bahamen – travel the world showing others what is distinctly Bahamian from Junkanoo to the sound of the Goombay beat and Rake n’ Scrape.
Today as you celebrate Flag Day remember not just to admire the beautiful colours of our flag but to also remember the beauty of our country and all the blessings we enjoy.
Our Flag Day is a day for gratitude and a day for appreciation, and a day to be proud and show our pride in being Bahamian. In famous words spoken by others, Flag Day should remind us not of what our country can do for us, but rather what we can do for our country.
Boys and Girls:
Thank you again for inviting me. I will long cherish my visit.
In closing I ask that God bless our flag, that He blesses you and all the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Happy Flag Day St. Bede’s!
