Officials grapple with the blue of the St. Lucia Flag

One of the major events hosted by the Independence committee to usher in the island’s fortieth anniversary of independence was the hoisting of a larger-than-life flag at Waterfront, Castries, followed by a grand fireworks display. 

A few minutes before midnight on Independence Eve, Saint Lucians turned out in their numbers to congregate in the Government Buildings parking lots and on John Compton Highway, all the way down to the Castries market, to witness and participate in the celebrations. Following a short delay, the fireworks display went on seamlessly for a good twenty minutes

As for the larger-than-life flag . . . Well, it turned out that bigger isn’t always better. Historically, the main difference between flags has been the shade of blue used. While some took the position that blue is blue regardless of how light or dark, others insisted that it was high time the authorities decided on a uniform blue. On Monday, Senator Fortuna Belrose addressed the subject.  “From what I’ve been told,” she explained, “the correct pantones were given. It’s a problem we will do our utmost to overcome.”  She acknowledged that across the country, different flags of varying shades of blue are being used, and that this is something that needs to be addressed. 

Toni Nicholas of the Independence committee revealed that the ministry of foreign affairs is currently putting together a document which will be presented to Cabinet, with the aim of legislating the correct colours of the flag. A ministry official was unable to provide specific details of the proposed legislation, such as fines for future violations.