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Fiji will change its national flag as the colonial symbols on the current one are no longer relevant, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama confirmed Tuesday.
Bainimarama, who signaled the national flag change plan as early as in his 2013 new year message, officially confirmed and announced the plan Tuesday while opening a legal aid office in a town near the capital of Suva.
In the past two years, Fijians were consumed with the task of holding "our first genuinely democratic election in Fijian history ", Bainimarama said. "But now that our new democracy is in place, we can proceed with the program I flagged at the beginning of 2013 to adopt a symbol that is more in keeping with our national aspirations in the 21st century."
"We need to replace the symbols on our existing flag that are out of date and no longer relevant, including some anchored to our colonial past. The new flag should reflect Fiji's position in the world today as a modern and truly independent nation," Bainimarama said.
Fiji was colonized by Britain in 1874 and gained independence on Oct. 10, 1970. The Pacific island country's current national flag, on which there is a Union Flag of the United Kingdom and a colonial shield, has been used since its independence.
After 45 years, it is time to dispense with the colonial symbols on Fiji's national flag, Bainimarama said.
"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 coloniser -- 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," the Fijian prime minister said. "And they should go. Honoured symbols of our past, but not of our future."
The new flag should be inclusive and based on a general consensus, the prime minister said, adding that a two-month national flag design competition will begin later this month, and the National Panel of Citizens, members of which are chosen from a broad cross section of Fijian society, will judge the entries and choose the most appropriate design.
Every Fijian will be given an opportunity to have a view on this issue and a vote on the final design via social media and text platforms, he said, urging people to take part in the process, irrespective of age, gender or socio-economic background.
The Pacific island country is expected to hoist the new national flag on Oct. 10, 2015, the 45th anniversary of its independence.
