SUVA – Fiji’s prime minister, not known for surrendering, has apparently waved the white flag over plans to have a new national flag sorted in time for the 45th anniversary of independence celebrations on October 1.

Following a public backlash after the final entries were released, Frank Bainimarama earlier told the public that they should suggest new ones if they weren’t happy.

And this week he went into a full retreat by officially extending the consultation period by six months and saying more flag designs will be offered up for feedback.

Bainimarama said the quest for a new flag is a national “crusade” and Fiji needed to get it right.

The Secretary-General of Fiji’s main opposition party Sodelpa said the decision to extend consultations on the new flag is a small victory for its campaign for a referendum on the issue.

Pio Tabaiwalu said it gives more time to insist on a national vote on whether Fiji should have a new flag at all.

“We really hope that with a lot of public outcry, we want to generate more public opinion to try to change their mind. Just go for a referendum, it’s so simple. Just say yes or no.”

Tabaiwalu said there is now more time to add to petitions already containing 18,000 signatures in favour of a referendum.

Prime Minister Bainimarama said the Fijian people have said they needed more time and the government had listened.

“By extending the deadline, there is now ample opportunity for Fijians of all ages and backgrounds to further contribute and consider what symbols most appropriately represent our wonderful nation,” he said in a statement,

“It has taken some time – in the Fijian way – for many people to become fully engaged and I very much welcome the current lively debate on the flag designs.

“I am delighted by the high level of engagement we are now getting from the Fijian people about a new national flag. After a relatively slow start, the national debate on the new designs for the new flag is now in full swing.

“While we had originally set a deadline of today for the first phase of the flag selection process to be completed, the government has decided to extend the period of consultation.

“More choices are going to be offered over the next few weeks and months. And the closing date for design consultations will now be December 31, 2015. Cabinet and then Parliament will consider the new flag design when it convenes in 2016.

“I appeal to every Fijian to join our quest for a flag that represents who we are today, rather than our past, and that we can fly proudly into the future as we fulfil our vision to become a modern nation state.”

The Fiji Times has defended its recent poll on the flag change after the government questioned the poll’s credibility.

The poll, conducted by an independent company Tebbutt Research, found at least 86 per cent of Fijians would prefer to vote on whether the flag should be changed. It also found 53 per cent of people want the current flag retained.

The Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum raised concern about the credibility of the poll.

But Tebbutt Research says its research methods are robust.

Its managing director, Caz Tebbutt, says the poll canvassed the opinions of 1052 randomly selected adults from rural and urban Fiji and appropriate statistical tests were applied.

The Fiji Times editor, Fred Wesley, says he also has confidence in the poll.

Another of Fiji’s opposition parties, the National Federation Party, said the extension of the flag consultation period is a waste and abuse of taxpayer funds.

NFP leader, Biman Prasad, said the process for finding a new flag must be abandoned immediately as it is clear the people of Fiji want a referendum on the issue.

Dr Prasad says the government must also reveal the amount of taxpayer funds already used in relation to the flag change, as a matter of transparency and accountability.

“We don’t know how much the government has already used. And this consultation process, continuation of that consultation process for another six months, will be an additional waste of taxpayer funds because it is not addressing the fundamental issue.

“The fundamental issue is that we have not determined whether people want to change the flag.”