A woman in Samoa has accused the government of being hypocritical because it is allowing construction work to be done on Sundays even though the constitution now says Samoa is a Christian State. “As a Christian country, our day of worship is on Sunday,” Tuilaepa Soiamoa Grey told the Samoa Observer. “I have nothing against Read more
The stated reason given for making Samoa a Christian state is to avoid religious tensions. But a political analyst, Grant Wyeth, says the change has the potential to actually create religious tensions. Samoa is no longer a secular state after its Parliament voted on bill which amends the Constitution to officially declare itself as a Christian nation. Read more
Fiji’s Immigration Director, Nemani Vuniwaqa, has confirmed that the prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama had banned Fiji-born (Mere)oni Kirwin from entering the country. Oni Kirwin is a controversial figure who lives in Australia. According to some commentators she has little credibility and little support. Vuniwaqi told the Fiji Sun that Kirwin was “in attempts to form a so-called Read more
A Samoan academic who is a Professor of Law at Otago University, New Zealand, Professor Rex Tauati Ahdar says Samoa is not and cannot be a Christian nation when people here do a “patchy” job of practicing what they preach. In a paper published this year titled “Samoa and the Christian State Ideal,” Professor Ahdar explored the Read more
The Pacific Council of Churches has responded with caution to the news that Papua New Guinea politicians have endorsed the idea of the country being officially a Christian State. Hela Province governor Anderson Agriru recently introduced a motion in Parliament to carry out a nationwide consultation on PNG’s religious status, which was passed unanimously. There Read more
To declare Fiji a Christian State is tantamount to blasphemy, according to Reverend Josateki Koroi, the former president of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma. Submissions to the Constitution Commission recommending that Fiji should be declared a Christian State have caused considerable debate. The idea would continue to be debated, Mr Koroi said, “because Read more
Fiji will be a secular state,” says Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama. This was the Prime Minister’s response to the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL) party submission summary handed to the Constitution Committee by the party constituent leaders. The SDL said Fiji should be a Christian State and Christianity is the state religion. “This will Read more
The SDL Party wants Fiji to be declared a Christian State, Christianity to be the state religion and Fijian to be the national language of the state. The SDL (Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua) was founded in 2001 by Laisenia Qarase. It is widely seen as the successor to the Alliance, the former ruling party that had dominated Fijian politics Read more