Military–church relations in Fiji
History of Fiji |
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Early history |
Modern history |
Coup of 2000 |
Proposed Reconciliation Commission |
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Crisis of 2005–2006 |
Coup of 2006 |
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) has always had a close relationship between the country's churches, particularly the Methodist Church, to which some two-thirds of indigenous Fijians belong. Relations became strained in 2005, however, over the church's support for the government's controversial Reconciliation and Unity Commission, which the Military strongly opposes. The Bill seeks to establish Commission empowered to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the coup d'état which deposed the elected government of Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry in May 2000.
Infantry Day, 2005
In an Infantry Day speech at Mount Nakobalevu outside Suva on 23 June, Bainimarama told 400 infanteers that he expected political instability to continue, and that in the event of an upheaval, they should follow his orders and no one else's. He told soldiers to stay away from people who opposed the stance of the military on what he called matters of national interest, and to change churches if their minister's views conflicted with those of the military. He also asserted that if Fijian chiefs were giving wrong advice to their people, the military had a duty to correct them.
Land Force Commander
"Chaplains supporting the bill not welcome" - Bainimarama
On 1 October 2005, Commodore Bainimarama warned the
Assemblies of God General Secretary
On 2 October, Reverend Ame Tugawe, the General Secretary of the Methodist Church, said he was "in total shock" at the Commander's attack on the church. "He is not only speaking about the people in the church but also about the God which we all serve," Tugawe said. "I have spoken with the military chaplain and told him to inform the military not to make such comments against the church." He said the threat was unprecedented and he could not have imagined it.
Tugawe reiterated the church's support for the Unity Bill: "We support reconciliation and the comments (Bainimarama's) would not do it," he said. "I advise the commander not to vent his anger in such public comments." He said, however, that it was a matter of personal conscience whether a minister supported or opposed the legislation, and that the question should not be a factor in the appointment of military chaplains.
See also
- Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill (main article)
- Qualified positions on the bill
- Military opposition to the bill
- Military-church relations in Fiji
- International reaction to the bill
- Church involvement in Fiji coups