Former Prime Minister Barak Sope has strongly defended the importance of Lini Day, urging the government not to change it. Sope says the public holiday, held on 21 February, carries deep meaning as it honours the late Father Walter Lini, the founding leader of Vanuatu’s independence.
“We must not remove Lini Day—it has meaning. Just like we still remember Easter, even though Jesus was born in Jerusalem, because of what He did for us. What have today’s leaders done to help win our independence compared to Father Lini? What did you do to help us get our freedom?” Sope said.
His comments come as the government considers reducing the number of public holidays. A new bill proposes removing Children’s Day and Unity Day, and merging them with Independence Day and Family Day. It also suggests renaming Lini Day to “Leaders’ Day” to recognise all past national leaders.
First Deputy Prime Minister, Sethy Regenvanu, said there are too many public holidays in the country.
“Personally, I think there are too many holidays, and what the government has come up with—I have no comment on that,” he said.
However, the proposal has sparked public debate. During VBTC’s Inside Long Nius talkback show this week, callers expressed mixed opinions:
- One caller supported removing Children’s Day as a holiday, saying it could still be celebrated without a day off.
- Another caller questioned why holidays falling on Sundays are often moved to Mondays, calling it unnecessary.
- A third caller backed keeping Lini Day, calling it a key part of Vanuatu’s history.
- Another suggested that each province should be allowed just one provincial holiday.
Former President Kalkot Matas Kelekele also shared his thoughts, saying Unity Day is a very important part of the country’s history.
“We must remember that on 29 November 1977, there was civil unrest in the country. That is why we have Unity Day,” he said.
Currently, Vanuatu observes 14 public holidays each year:
- 5 mark key events in national history
- 5 are religious holidays
- 4 other holidays
The government stated that after the 7.3 magnitude earthquake on December 17th of 2024, the Government aims to implement strong economic recovery policies. In implementing this economic recovery policies, the Government has engaged in dialogue with the private sectors who are pivotal in this economic recovery effort. After this dialogue, the Government understands that a productive workforce is important for economic recovery. However, one of the challenges faced in ensuring that there is a productive workforce in place, is the high number of public holidays and their effect on businesses and services.
The government stated also that these amendments will increase business confidence, improve Government service delivery, and provide a positive long-term impact on the economy of our country.
