THE Fiji Government has decided that Fiji will retain her current flag for the forseeable future.
And Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says it has been apparent to the Government since February that Fiji should keep her noble banner blue.
He said it also had to do with setting national priorities explaining that any funds to be used for a flag change would be better spent on assisting Fijians in their continued recovery from Tropical Cyclone Winston.
“It has been deeply moving for me as Prime Minister to witness the way Fijians have rallied around the national flag as our rugby sevens team brought home Olympic gold for Fiji. And I know this sentiment is shared by most Fijians,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“While I remain convinced personally that we need to replace some of the flag’s colonial symbols with a genuinely indigenous expression of our present and our future, it has been apparent to the Government since February that the flag should not be changed for the foreseeable future.”
“I urge every Fijian to display our flag when our victorious sevens team returns to Fiji on Sunday and during our special national holiday on Monday.
“It is a time to celebrate not only their remarkable achievement but our collective unity and national sense of purpose.”
The proposed flag change was first announced in 2013 with a national design competition held in 2015.
Twenty three final designs were selected by the National Flag Committee.
