Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long
as ever you can.
John Wesley
| Text size: +/-Methodist Church in Fiji – no meetings allowed!
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| The Methodist Church is supporting Fijian Methodists by supporting income-generating projects such as this tree planting project |
For a century and a half, the Methodist Church in Fiji has played a central role in national and local life. Now the Church is facing unprecedented oppression. Steve Pearce, partnership coordinator for the British Methodist Church, outlines the latest situation.
It is the significant role and history played by the Methodist Church in Fiji for over a century that has now attracted the attention of an authoritarian interim government.
Political authorities have made it clear that Methodist meetings, including the annual Conference and all district and circuit meetings, are not to receive permits from the police for fear that ‘political’ topics will be discussed. The interim prime minister, Commodore Bainimarama, has stressed that the Methodist Church will not be allowed to hold its annual Conference again until 2014, when he says that he will authorise national elections to take place once again.
The current interim government came to power in 2006, following the latest in a succession of Fijian coups. Coup leaders said that they were concerned by the way in which the previous government has been increasing divisions between ethnic Fijian groups.
The coup was ruled illegal in April 2009, at which point the interim government abrogated the constitution, sacked the judges, imposed strict media censorship and adopted Public Emergency Regulations, which require permits to be obtained before any meetings may be held.
All the leaders of the Methodist Church in Fiji have been charged with attending an unauthorised meeting of the Conference’s Standing Committee. Charges of espionage have also been threatened but no one has been tried. Nevertheless, the leaders continue to operate under strict bail conditions.
The interim government has been reluctant to deal with the leadership of the Methodist Church but, recently, Commodore Bainimarama did respond to an invitation to meet with 130 leading ministers. This did little to alter a situation, however, in which the restriction of the Church’s activities is impeding its democratic process, its administration and its financial security.
For now, the British Methodist Church supports the attempts of Fijian Methodists to avoid confrontation and will support the Church in practical ways over the coming years.
