Suva's Coat

Has Many

Colours

From a Suva Correspondent Suva’s coat of arms (above)

designed by the College of

Arms in London, and fixed re cently to the wall of the Suva Civic Centre overlooking Vic toria Parade, bears the motto “Valataka Na Dina” which is

Fijian for “Fight for the Right”.

THE figures on the coat of arms represent a Fijian warrior and a European planter.

In the Fiji Legislative Council de bate on the constitution in December, Mr. A. D. Patel, leader of the Fed eration Party and Member for Social Services, said the coat of arms was evidence of a hardening of racial at titudes.

“It depicts a Fijian and a Euro pean and contains an inscription in Fijian meaning ‘Fight for the Right’, but 75 per cent, of the population in Suva is Indian,” said Mr. Patel.

“What is the reason behind choos ing a coat of arms which depicts a Fijian and European with the words ‘Fight for the Right’? Fight against whom?”

The coat of arms was, to say the least, a provocation and a chal lenge to the people belonging to other races, in Suva and outside Suva.

Later, when the session closed, the Speaker, Mr. H. Maurice Scott, eased (Over)

the tension with his own comments, presumably unofficial, on the absence of an Indian representative from the coat of arms, “Personally,” he said, “I think they are very lucky. I think the new coat of arms is terrible!”

Suva’s man-in-the-street was also critical—but his criticism was con fined to the cut of the European’s riding breeks. ‘They look as if they are just out of Bond Street!” said one old hand.

“Do they claim he’s a pioneer?”

But none of this was good enough for Suva’s Mayor, Mr. C. A. Stinson, who in a long and detailed statement hurried to the defence of the city’s coat of arms.

Mr. Patel had “readily insulted the coat of arms of the City of Suva .. . and insulted the city councillors as a body,” said Mr. Stinson, He demanded an official apology from the Member for Social Services, whose remarks had been “gravely inaccurate and harmful”.

He said there had been publicity over every stage of the coat of arms since 1962, when it was first decided to have one. The three hibiscus in the arms represented Fiji’s three races.

“Let me assure the Hon. A. D.

Patel,” said Mr. Stinson, “that in all the 14 years I have been as sociated with the Suva City Council, there has been no secret smouldering along racial lines. I have openly stated on several occasions that during the last few years the racial harmony in the council could not be finer and that all races were working together in a common cause.”

As for Mr. Maurice Scott’s com ment, said Mr. Stinson, he had been “very distressed to hear of it”.