新西蘭人投票否決更換國旗

The process lasted nearly two years, considered morethan 10,000 designs and cost $26m but in the end itcame to nothing: New Zealanders are sticking withcolonial symbolism by keeping their current flag.

整個過程耗時近兩年，考慮了超過1萬種設計，花費了2600萬美元，但是最終卻什么都沒改變：新西蘭人選擇保留目前的國旗，守護殖民時期的象征。

Results of a referendum that ended on Thursday willcome as a blow to John Key, the country’s popularprime minister, who spearheaded the push for a newflag and described it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the national symbol.

周四結束的公投結果將打擊該國頗具人氣的總理約翰•基(John Key)，他是支持新國旗的先鋒，并形容此次公投為一代人僅有一次的更換國家象征的機會。

Voters did not share the sentiment. More than 56 per cent of ballots — about 1.2m votes —were in favour of keeping the century-old Union Jack-anchored design rather than thealternative option of a silver fern on a black and blue background

選民們卻沒有感同身受。超過56%的選票——約120萬張——支持保留以聯(lián)合王國國旗圖案為主、使用了一個世紀的設計，否決了黑藍背景下銀蕨的替代方案。

“New Zealand has voted to retain our current flag,” Mr Key tweeted shortly after the resultswere announced. “I encourage all NZers to use it, embrace it and, more importantly, beproud of it.”

“新西蘭投票保留了我們目前的國旗，”基在結果宣布后不久在Twitter上稱，“我鼓勵所有新西蘭人使用和接受它，更重要的是以它為豪。”

The referendum sparked renewed debate across the Asia-Pacific region on national and colonialidentity and the relationship with the UK.

此次公投在部分亞太國家引發(fā)了有關國家和殖民身份認同以及與英國關系的新一輪辯論。

Last year Fiji announced plans to erase the Union Jack from its national flag and is nowconsidering new designs. It hopes to have a new flag in place by October to mark the 45thanniversary of its independence.

去年，斐濟宣布了從國旗上去除聯(lián)合王國標志的計劃，目前正在考慮新設計。它希望最遲在10月?lián)碛行聡?，以慶祝獨立45周年。

“We need to replace the symbols on our existing flag that are out of date and no longerrelevant, including some anchored to our colonial past,” said Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s primeminister.

“我們需要替換掉現(xiàn)有國旗上過時且不再有意義的符號，包括一些與我們的殖民地歷史相關的符號，”斐濟總理弗蘭克•姆拜尼馬拉馬(Frank Bainimarama)表示。

In Australia there has also been a push to sever colonial-era symbolism. Opposition politiciansand state premiers in January signed a joint statement calling for the establishment of arepublic, almost two decades after a 1999 referendum on the subject was defeated.

澳大利亞也有去除殖民地時期象征的努力。1月，反對派政治人士及各州州長簽署了一項聯(lián)合聲明，呼吁建立共和國。1999年，針對該主題的公投失敗。

But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a staunch republican who led the earlier campaign,blocked the move, saying the timing was not right and that nothing should be done while thecurrent Queen remains on the throne.

但是澳大利亞總理、領導上次公投的堅定的共和主義者馬爾科姆•特恩布爾(Malcolm Turnbull)阻止了這一行動，稱目前的時機不合適，在現(xiàn)任女王仍然在位期間不應該這樣做。

“There are many more urgent issues confronting Australia and indeed confronting thegovernment than the momentum or the desire for Australia to become a -republic,” MrTurnbull said.

“澳大利亞、實際上是政府，目前面對著很多比鼓動澳大利亞成為共和國的勢頭或愿望更緊要的問題，”特恩布爾稱。