(Trinidad Express) “You cannot do this to us.”
That was the message sent by an incensed Presi-dent Anthony Carmona on Monday, to those responsible for peddling the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) medal, the nation’s highest award, on the international e-commerce website, eBay.
Carmona said the award was not a rag doll to dispose, but a symbol of national pride and honour.
He was responding to the attempted sale of the 18 carat gold medal awarded posthumously to trade union leader Adrian Cola Rienzi in 2012.
And he noted that maybe the time had come to have persons honoured or their representatives sign an agreement prohibiting the sale of the ORTT medal.
In a statement, Carmona said: “The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is not a rag doll that is disposable. This ultimate symbol of our Nation’s pride and honour is sacrosanct. The intended sale of the ORTT medal offends one’s sense of patriotism and exposes a raw nerve.”
Carmona added, “We must explore our way out of this scenario. Maybe the time has come that all persons who are so honoured or their representatives, sign a contract giving the Office of The President (OTP) the first option to buy the medal in the event of intended disposal/sale; or better still, amend the law to absolutely prohibit the sale/disposal of the ORTT medal. We need to create our very own international benchmark as it relates to our ORTT medal.”
He said the ORTT must become a proud heirloom in the family.
“My humble admonition and entreaty to whoever is responsible for the intended sale of the ORTT medal, You cannot do this to us.”
The gold medal, packaged with the original award document, signed by President George Maxwell Richards and stamped with the presidential seal, has been offered up for bidding starting at US$25,000.
