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Fiji further defers quest for new national flag

Xinhua, December 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Fiji on Wednesday announced that it has decided to further defer the quest for a new national flag that will no longer contain colonial symbols seen on the current one.

"The Fijian government has announced the extension of the feedback period for designs for the new national flag to Feb. 29, 2016," the Department of Information said in a statement.

The reason is that that "a number of new submissions" have been added since the 23 shortlisted designs were published earlier this year.

"From March 1 to 19, five designs will be chosen, through the Prime Minister's Office, for members of the public to vote on. Members of the public will have three months to vote on the five designs through public consultations, social media and text messaging," the statement said.

The design with the most votes is expected to be announced on July 1 to be Fiji's new flag, which is expected to be hoised for the first time on Sept. 7, the Pacific island country's Constitution Day.

Fiji had initially planned to hoist the new national flag on Oct. 10, 2015, the country's 45th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule, with the new flag designing consultation period ending on June 30.

However, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama announced in late June that the consultation period would be extended to the end of 2015.

Of the 23 shortlisted entries, almost all retain the sky blue color of the current national flag, with elements such as the sun, stars, coconut trees and waves. However, a part of Fijians said none of the designs contain necessary elements to represent the whole of Fiji.

The government has yet to disclose the the designs of the new submissions.

Fiji gained independence on Oct. 10, 1970 from British colonial rule, and the current Fijian national flag contains hefty British elements, including the national flag of the United Kingdom itself.

Earlier this year, Bainimarama expressed the motive behind the change.

"The Union Flag belongs to the British, not to us. The shield on our flag has the British Lion and the Cross of St. George - a British patron saint.

"What does this have to do with us? They are the symbols of the colonizer - Britain - a country with whom we are friends and will continue to be so. But they are not symbols that are relevant to any Fijian in the 21st century," he said.

"And they should go. Honored symbols of our past, but not of our future." Enditem