Fijians will get the opportunity to design a new flag as the country prepares to ditch Britain’s Union Jack.
Fijan Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday said the Pacific island nation was launching a two-month competition starting on Monday to find the best replacement flag.
He said a panel of citizens will chose the best designs, with the final decision going to lawmakers.
He said the winning designer will get to hoist the new flag on Oct. 10 — the 45th anniversary of the nation’s independence.
Fiji’s current flag features the Union Flag, or Union Jack, in the canton, or top left corner.
Bainimarama earlier this month said that the flag’s symbols were part of Fiji’s colonial past.
“They are the symbols of the colonizer, Britain, a country with whom we are friends and will continue to be so,” he said in a speech. “But they are not symbols that are relevant to any Fijian in the 21st century. And they should go.”
Bainimarama is encouraging schools to enter into the competition for a new flag, offering prizes, including a large-screen television, for participating.
“I stress that the competition to design the flag is open to everyone,” he said yesterday. “But we are especially keen to encourage our young people to give full rein to their imaginations, because this flag is ultimately for them and future generations of Fijians.”
New Zealand is also considering ditching the Union Jack from its flag. Voters in that country will get to first choose a favorite alternative flag from among several options, and then get to decide on whether that alternative should replace the current flag.
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