Fiji's Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said on Tuesday that the word "Fijian" is to be used to refer to all the people of Fiji.

He made the call to the members of the Lau Provincial Council meeting in Deuba outside Suva on Tuesday. "Fijian" is a term currently applied only to indigenous Fijians.

He said this is one of the ways to unite the nation and to eradicate racial discrimination which was clearly endorsed within the context of the People's Charter for Change.

The People's Charter was released to the public on Aug. 6, 2008.

It was an initiative of the Bainimarama government.

Among its key proposals were addressing the root causes of coups through political, social and economic reform, toughening the sanctions against coups, building "conflict resolution mechanisms for groups and individuals affected by coups, empowering courts to penalize or dissolve political parties which "engage in activities that breach important values of the constitution among other things.

In addition, specific proposals aimed at promoting national unity by changing the official reference of Fiji's inhabitants from"Fiji Islander" to "Fijian", a term currently applied only to indigenous Fijians.

There are also moves to make the teaching of Hindi and Fijian compulsory in all schools.