Fiji considers future flag laws

SUVA – A Parliamentary Committee in Fiji is currently taking submissions on the National Flag Protection Bill, which proposes new laws on the use and misuse of the future flag of Fiji.

The bill includes fines and jail terms for defacing the yet to be decided new flag, as well as referendum provisions for any future changes to the flag.

The chair of the committee, and governing Fiji First Party MP, Ashneel Sudhakar, says it wasn’t inconsistent to exclude a public vote on changing the current flag.

“Putting it to a referendum is more complex than it sounds. Who will be the people, who will be the class of people voting in the referendum. Would it be the racial voters only?

“Because we have got primary school citizens, secondary school citizens who are below the age of 18 who are very interested in the flag and who have submitted their designs to the committee.

“If we have a referendum those guys will be left out altogether because they don’t form part of the electoral roll.”

However, one of the National Flag Protection Bill’s provisions states that next time a flag-change issue arises, three-quarters of eligible Fiji voters would have to vote – and that would therefore exclude children from high schools and primary schools under the age of 18.

“That’s something that’s at a discretionary stage in that bill. There’s nothing stopping us from recommending that a referendum of another sort could be held,” Sudhakar said.

He said they are discussing whether to broaden the eligible voters to include school children.

“That is an idea that I had floated and the committee hasn’t yet elaborated on that because as I said we are only in the second day of submissions.”

The Bill also includes ideas about clothing and the representation of the new Fiji flag on garments and other things that are sold or worn in public.

National Flag committee member Brij Lal earlier made comments that he was concerned such use would be a disrespect to the flag.

“There’s no decision on that yet but there were views when it comes to respecting the flag,” Sudhakar said.

“We obviously want to see that the flag is used in an appropriate manner and it would not be a good idea, as the committee member suggested, to have the flag printed on parts of the attire especially the undergarments.

“It’s not law yet but just a general floating of the idea that some control has to be on that as well – so that our flag is not seen as being somewhere inappropriate for a flag to be.

“We always see that the USA flag, even the Australian and New Zealand flags are used on swimwear.

“Fiji is a very closeknit society. Fiji is a very traditional society as well and we have a lot of respect for our flag as compared to some other countries, I would say.

“The words of section 5 are general and clear. The flag shall be respected by every citizen of Fiji.”