Dear Editor,

When the visage of government minister Ronnie Thwaites was found to appear on replicas of the Jamaican flag, there were howls of protest from the Opposition, and rightly so.

In response, the government moved promptly and appropriately by accepting responsibility for the blunder and taking immediate corrective action in withdrawing the offending artefacts. Ensuing public media crash lessons on flag etiquette made it abundantly clear that no image or inscription of any kind should be superimposed on any reproduction of the national flag.

Imagine my shock and horror, therefore, on arriving at the Norman Manley International Airport on Saturday, September 15, 2012, to be greeted by a replica of the national flag bearing the picture of a lion’s head as part of a Jamaica 50 montage on conspicuous display in the airport’s immigration hall.

Perhaps I’m mistaken in my understanding of the protocol and in such event I hope to be corrected. Otherwise, I believe the desecration should be discontinued forthwith and a public apology offered.

I’d like to use this opportunity also to seek clarification on another observation at the airport. Is Jamaican citizenship now subsumed under a Caricom identity such that there is no longer a need for immigration to make a distinction?

D Graham

dervalgraham@hotmail.com