The Rules Around The National Flag

THE Political Perspective in The Namibian of 16 July brought me up short with the question ‘what are the rules that apply to the use of the national flag of Namibia?’ If I am not allowed to proudly fly my national flag in front of my own house in Namibia, does that mean that the government has the sole right to do so?

I was raised in this country albeit under the oppressive colonialist rulers of yesteryear and we were taught all the rules pertaining to national symbols at school. There were two rules regarding the flag that were cast in stone; to whit the flag may not be flown after sunset or before sunrise and the flag may never come in contact with the ground when being hoisted or lowered. (I had never heard of the tablecloth rule before, but love it) I am pretty sure no new laws have been passed in this regard since independence so expect the same old laws to probably apply to our Namibian flag.The only Namibian publication in this regard that I was able to find is a full-colour pamphlet distributed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting some years ago which shows the five Namibian National Symbols, explains the various elements of each and describes their uses and/or purpose. The only restriction quoted in that pamphlet is: ‘All national symbols are protected by law, which prohibits any act of intent to insult, display contempt or hold them up to ridicule.’ It would be to everyone’s advantage if someone could advise the nation of the legal requirements and limitations surrounding the use of the national flag. There are lodges, B&Bs, restaurants and rest camps throughout our country who fly the national flag, many of them along the side of national roads. Are we to believe that all these establishments have special approval and then from whom or which ministry or agency?There are also unfortunately endless examples of government offices which fly the flag on a 24/7 basis. Some of those flags are so frayed and faded as to be hardly recognisable and many have been up there for so long that they are not quite at the top of their flagpoles any more. Similar to the case of the flag flown upside-down some years ago, this reflects very poorly on us as a people.My last question: must I now remove my ‘Proudly Namibian’ flag sticker from the back of my motorcar?Philip FordVia e-mailNote: The ‘flag’ debate is a very interesting one. Many countries have outdated regulations about their national flag, and other countries have dropped all but the barest of stipulations, and Sweden is one of them! The US also has some fairly stringent requirements but they are not observed and/or enforced, and of course, the question is when is a flag not a flag? For instance the bumper stickers to which you refer, and also carpets, etc. – Editor

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