METHODISTS rear their frightful face from Sitiveni Rabuka's pulpit. They have thrown in village by-laws to cloak their 1987 grand design for Fiji

21/4/2017

15 Comments

Methodists again call for Fiji to be made a Christian state; remember the coupist Rabuka in 1987: "Hindus and Muslims are pagans who need to be converted to Christianity, if not we will all become pagans like them"

FIJI'S largest Christian denomination has called on the government not to enact controversial proposed laws which will restrict movement in indigenous villages.

The Methodist Church in Fiji also demanded the reinstatement of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga (Great Council of Chiefs) which was removed by military strongman Rear-Admiral Frank Bainimarama.

In a five-point submission the church said immediate open consultation was needed with the indigenous people along with the removal of 17 decrees and policies which breach ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the rights of the indigenous people.

The Methodist Church called on the government to:

1. Initiate open consultation and discussion with the chiefs, the indigenous peoples of Fiji and Rotuma and remove all 17 decrees and policies it has promulgated in breach of ILO Convention 169 and the UNDRIP.

2. Present an extended timeline to review this proposed Village bylaws, and review the 2013 Constitution to reflect the common will of the people and to contain within it, the unqualified guarantee that indigenous rights of native Fijians will be an entrenched provision in the 2013 Constitution.

3. Review the 2013 Constitution and make Fiji a Christian state, in accordance with the clear stipulations of the Deed of Cession, and the wishes of the Chiefs and people of Fiji, as expressed in the “Wakaya Letter.”

4. Address the concerns of the United Nations Committee of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in its 2012 observations with immediate effect.

5. Not promulgate this bill into law unless and until the views of the indigenous people of Fiji and their institutions including the Great Council of Chiefs are openly and clearly sought, addressed and are favorable, regarding it. Source: Islands Business, April 2017

15 Comments

Chiku

21/4/2017 10:14:59 pm

Being " Fiji's largest Christian denomination " means they have a lot of heads. That however does not mean they have a lot of brains. It's a bit like the naqari ( mud crab). You can get a big bundle of naqari from the Suva Market but that does not mean you will get a lot of crab meat. Because some of the qari will be empty. Same with this Christian mob : a lot of empty-heads make its numbers.

Waqatabu

22/4/2017 12:41:24 am

What is wrong with a Christian State? If other countries of the world can become Islamic states - why cannot Fiji be a christian state?

Chiku

22/4/2017 11:54:54 pm

Because countries that are " Islamic States " are shit countries when it comes to respect for democracy, the rule of law, human rights and human dignity. They tend to have the characteristics of a fascist state.
A Christian state , a Hindu state, a Buddist state ( look at what the Budhist thugs have been doing to the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar) a Jewish state - all will be shit states. No reason for Fiji to become a shit state after being " the way the world should be "...

Lewis link

23/4/2017 03:56:42 am

Nothing wrong with Christian state where everyone is allowed to follow their belief and custom. Thou shalt love your neighbour....hope I got this one right.

maropito

23/4/2017 06:08:09 am

The Fijian Christian in Fiji are not christian, they have borrowed the Christianity form other people. The Fijian are converted to christian where as the Indians are Indians. their religion are original. If the Fijian become Hindu and read Hindu religion book than the Fijian will able to do better farming and business. Convert all Fijian to Indian and call Fiji Indian State.

Waqatabu

23/4/2017 10:10:14 pm

Maropito -"Indians" as you say is not a religion. It is a race of people. Get that right first. Second - why would we want to convert all Fijians to Indian (again you said this)? I am proud of my culture and who I am, and I am happy as it is. And proof read your comments before you post them.

Tomasi Tabanidalo

23/4/2017 06:14:46 am

Days of misery resurfacing. Rabuka rises his evil head and the Methodists puppets are ready to sing old devil tunes. It makes me wonder if the Methodists are still reading the bible or have they become saturns disciple. Keep religion and politics seperate. Religion is pious and politics is dirty. Keep within the principles of the bible Methodists. Otherwise, stop calling yourself Christains as your principles are unchristian and ungodly. Stop ruining Jesus name and teachings.

splashViti

23/4/2017 12:51:11 pm

I understand the concerns on islamisation and its associated problems seen in many parts of the world. However, I do not agree with a proposal to declare Fiji a Christian State.

Two reasons: first and foremost, this is not going to turn lukewarm, half-hearted or ignorant-by-choice Christians into genuine, practising, walk-by-faith Christians or even increase population stats on Christians - due to the absolute necessity of respecting the individual's "free will" when seeking a genuine response to the Beloved (our Creator and Trinitarian God) through means of evangelisation etc. Throughout the Bible, starting from the Book of Genesis, God has always invited a free response from man (generic use). We have always made the choice on each and every occasion, starting in the Garden of Eden and throughout the entire history of salvation as recorded in the Bible.

Secondly, it appears that the only reference to Christianity in the Deed of Cession dated 10th October 1874, is in its Preamble, referenced in the extract below:

"... And Whereas the Fijian Chief Thakombau styled Tui Viti and Vuni Valu and the other high native chiefs of the said islands are desirious [sic] of securing the promotion of civilization and Christianity and of increasing trade and industry within the said islands;..."

Does the above amount to a clear stipulation? I wonder... The Deed was also made at a time when Fijian society was largely homogenous as the indentured labourers were brought in from India the following year (1875 to 1879) and were either Hindu, Sikh or Muslim. Fiji's ethnic composition is so unique in that way in the entire Pacific region (not includ. Aus/NZ), which I think is a real strength rather than a burden as the hopeless like to see it.

We cannot want a democracy and a theocracy at the same time. They are not compatible. Man is meant to be divine, not the State. Man is naturally expected to yearn for higher ideals, as St Augustine famously puts it, "Man is made for God, our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee". The State simply needs to make this inherent and first-of-all-human rights, possible - whether one is a christian, hindu, muslim, sikh, buddhist or an atheist, by its non-interference in all matters of religion and conscience, except in certain situations such as where the right to life is threatened.

And besides... given the Christian requirement of forgiveness and mercy (i.e. Jesus taught us to forgive someone who has wronged us not just 7 times, but 77 x 7 - see Matthew 18:22), I'm afraid that the bad, the bold and the crooked will get away with endless impunity for their crimes in our Christian State, horrendous crimes such as the misappropriation of public funds in the millions that directly affect the right to life for the sick, the young and the vulnerable who are more likely to die than heal in our under-resourced hospitals.

Let us then "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21). Immunity is the 'elephant in the room' if Fiji's coup culture is to be seriously eradicated.

George Speight seems to be the only real man in this country who was not afraid to carry "his Cross" and accept responsibility for his treasonous misdeed. As Christians, we all know that we cannot avoid our Crosses in life as it is the only way by which to attain a genuine Resurrection. So hiding behind immunity while shamelessly riding in on the back of Jesus' Resurrection to national prominence is not a heroic thing to do. Far from it. "The Way" as we know it is which the Christ took upon Himself when He entered into our reality as one of us, in order to painstakingly show us how it is done. People need to honestly search themselves and take responsibility for their glaring misdeeds instead of cowardly hiding behind endless immunities.

Back to the subject of democracy vs theocracy. Democracy please if we understand well our Christian faith. And on that note, let's spare a thought and prayer for the soul of a friend of a friend who was murdered last night in the Maldives, as he sadly posted below. RIP.

"Maldives most prominent blogger Yameen Rasheed (29- year old), -- a fierce but always a most reasonable critic of the rise in militant Salafi-Jihadism and corrupt Maldivian political system -- has been brutally murdered last night. Condemn this brutal murder of a friend in strongest terms. Yameen, you like others who have been recently murdered, including your bestfriend Rilwan, must get justice."

Also see: http://en.mihaaru.com/social-media-activist-found-dead-with-14-stab-wounds/

GOAT

24/4/2017 08:48:48 am

Very talented and no doubt highly educated splashviti? Here's why we have coups in Fiji....Very simple......the itaukei male wants self glorification and public glorification first and foremost. It's either being in the Fiji rugby team, or the army or headboy in school, always wants to "star". The God in Christ is not as important as them, the he male alpha wannabe itaukei hero. All the male indigenous just love to be the centre of attraction, and then falsely promotes Jesus as the king when that's all they want to be. .God, so you have more Colonels and medals more Brigadiers and medals and more Commodore and again medals. Then these rascals commit what IDI Amin did in Uganda- steal army funds. When questioned about the theft, then they get all political and want to save the Indians from inequality. This all starts with the same story....army regimental funds , then comes coup and then bank robberies disguised as borrowing...ala NBF.
The cause of all problems in Fiji is the itaukei males and the freeloaders from Vanua Levu. We the people of Fiji need to stand United and crush the self loving itaukei males and the Labasia and send them all to the refugee camp in PNG .
Amen.

Ben

23/4/2017 09:36:23 pm

Editor, why not give a chance to Fiji becoming a Chritian state? Founded on Biblical principles of peace, love and unyielding service to your fellow brethren. We cannot compare Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu or Christian beliefs and expect them all to have the same outcome. Come on, apples to oranges? Rabuka is possibly not the ideal person based in his past. But who doesn't have a dark past? To err is human, to forgive? Divine.

Rajend Naidu

24/4/2017 07:05:46 am

Editor,
A Good Christian
During a service on Tiber Island in Rome on Saturday Pope Francis made a comparision between refugee camps in Europe to Nazi concentration camps ( ' Pope Francis compares migrant detention centres to Nazi concentration camps ' DW News 24/4 ).
The Pope is a good Christian who feels the plight of the refugees fleeing persecution, war and conflict in their home countries.
Many Australians wonder what kind of Christians some Australian politicians are who seem to have no qualms about dumping refugees to languish indefinitely in our off- shore concentration camps on Manus Island and Nauru .
The Pope demonstrates with his empathy what it means to be a true Christian .
Leaders should learn from his example.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Gulong

24/4/2017 10:34:41 am

The Methodist statement sounds like it was written by Vanua Levu SODELPA MP, Niko Nawaikula and rubber stamped by Rabuka who then passed it to his contacts in the church. In any case it cannot become policy unless passed at the church's annual conference where it most likely fall flat but Rabuka isn't concerned as his intention is to milk the statement for all its propaganda value. This guy is up to his old tricks again. Once a snake always a snake.

Tomasi

24/4/2017 11:46:56 am

Rabuka was a willing, able and necessary pawn in the hands and under the control of those behind the curtains in the 1987 military coup/ One of the principal but invisible cators in the 1987 coup was the CIA.

Voreqe would not have succeeded in his 2006 coup had he not obtained the support and active contributions of forces behind the curtains. One of the actors tat has contributed a lot to the success of Bai's thug rule and later disguised dictatorship is QORVIS, an American outfit who might be just a CIA operation in disguise.

Rabula has never publicly condemned Voreqe. In fact, the two are quite good buddies but do not demonstrate that in public. After all, how can the kettle call the other black?

But you see, both characters, Voreqe and Rabuka are simply pawns, although willing and able, to invisible power brokers and evil forces behind the veil. Both have US partners who play a vital role in their regimes.

Rabuka and Voreqe are supposed to be opposing each other in the 2018 elections. If they are being ultimately controlled by the same evil forces, what would be the ultimate goals of these people? Do these two so called leaders really care about truth, justice, freedom, progress, and prosperity for all our people of Fiji? Can we the people, given the public records of these two coupists, expect them to lead us closer to our 'promised land" ? Who are these people that lurk behind the political and economic curtains of power and control? How can we the people take effective control over our national destiny?

Rajend Naidu

24/4/2017 10:25:23 pm

Editor,
The End Game of a Tyranical Dictatorship
We have seen the graphic pictures of the gassing and slaughter that's been going on in Syria for over 6 long years - thanks to courageous reporters and social media.
From the abc Four Corners program ' Syria's Disappeared : The Case Against Assad ' ( 24/4 ) we learn that " ... Now international pressure is rising for Assad and his regime to be held to account for years of atrocities. In a secret location in Europe, war crimes investigators have been building a criminal case against the Syrian regime.
War Crimes Investigator said " We're trying to lay the foundations for a prosecution along the Nurumberg lines, where prosecutors can lead with heavy, heavy, irrefutable documentary material".
Using a cache of more than 600-thousand smuggled documents, investigators have been piecing together evidence of what has happened to the thousands of Syrians who have been killed, tortured or " disappeared" at the hands of the Assad government".
Lets's hope the perpetrators of the Syrian atrocities - beginning with the rounding up of peaceful protesters in 2011 - get their just desert in the same way the Nazi war criminals did following the Nurumberg trial.
Humanity deserves nothing less.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Refugee

24/4/2017 11:13:39 pm

All those wanting Fiji to be a ‘Christian State’ please tell us how is it presently very ‘un-Christian’? The Methodists whilst calling for a review of the FRAUD 2013 Constitution liberalizing indigenous rights should also call for the removal of the Bill of Rights, as it contradicts with their first call for a ‘Christian State’.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

METHODISTS rear their frightful face from Sitiveni Rabuka's pulpit. They have thrown in village by-laws to cloak their 1987 grand design for Fiji

Methodists again call for Fiji to be made a Christian state; remember the coupist Rabuka in 1987: "Hindus and Muslims are pagans who need to be converted to Christianity, if not we will all become pagans like them"

Leave a Reply.