THE black in the Jamaican flag no longer represents hardship, but strength and creativity as Cabinet has taken a decision to revise the old interpretation.

Minister of Information, Senator Burchell Whiteman, made the disclosure at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday.

The new symbolism of the gold, green and black colours of the flag, he said, were: "The sun shineth; the land is green; and the people are strong and creative".

The announcement comes as the nation prepares to celebrate the Emancipation and Independence holidays.

"While the programme for Emancipation Day and Independence Day will be announced fairly soon," Whiteman said, "the issue arose, of what seems to be a recurring misrepresentation of the symbolism of the colours of the Jamaican flag."

Recalling the report of the Nettleford Commission, which saw the re-introduction of Emancipation Day as a national holiday, Senator Whiteman noted that there were some other matters which had come to public attention. Among these matters, which were examined by the House of Representatives and the Senate, he said, was the issue of the symbolism of the colours of the flag.

The gold, he said, clearly depicts the natural beauty of the sunlight and the wealth of the country; green reflects hope and agricultural resources; and the black depicts the strength and creativity of the people.

"That is the interpretation we would like to be firmly planted in people's minds," the minister said.

He also stressed that the colours of the flag were black, green and gold, and not yellow.

"We want to encourage all those who have responsibility for the manufacture or sale of the Jamaican flag to ensure that we remain true to what is correct, in respect to the colours of the flag," Whiteman said, adding that information would be provided to the public about the use of the flag, where to use it, and how it is to be displayed.

In addition, Senator Whiteman said, there were still instances where people were using the incorrect words in singing the National Anthem, pointing out that while the words were, "Eternal father bless our land, guard us with thy mighty hand", people still sang "guide" us with thy mighty hand.

"In the course of this build-up to Emancipation and Independence," he said, "we want to see if we can, through the media and other government agencies, encourage the people to get it right. Let's get the interpretation right; let's sing the anthem right; and be sure that we know what our symbols really mean," he urged.

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