The Anglican Church is defending its decision to hold its General Synod in Fiji, saying it is actively encouraging a return to a duly elected parliament. Archbishop David Moxon, and Bishops Brown Turei and Winston Halapua say the church is trying to keep open the lines of communication with the present Fijian administration. Archbishop Moxon Read more
New Zealand Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, will travel to Suva on Monday as a member of the Pacific Islands Forum Ministerial Contact Group on Fiji. Mr McCully today thanked the Fiji administration for its agreement to the MCG visit. “This visit will enable the MCG to resume direct dialogue with Fiji after a significant interval,” Read more
Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama has told a high level meeting in the UN General Assembly that the Fiji government is dismantling all initiatives that institutionalise racial discrimination and encourage racism. He told the Assemby that the Fiji government is removing electoral provisions that were based on race because it has clearly divided the people Read more
Regional policy makers are reeling at the implications of a remarkable opinion poll that shows overwhelming public support in Fiji for Frank Bainimarama – widely regarded as a Pacific pariah for his 2006 coup and continuing refusal to bow to demands for an early election. The poll – commissioned by the independent Australian think tank, Read more
One of the people taking part in a panel discussion during the launch of the opinion poll was Shamima Ali from Fiji’s Women’s Crisis Centre. She expressed some scepticism about the results.
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The Sydney based Lowy Institute commissioned opinion poll, titled “Fiji at Home and in the World”, published in New Zealand on Wednesday to coincide with the Pacific Islands’ Forum Leader’s meeting shows Fiji’s coup leader scores high approval in the poll.
Read the article...The General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches is concerned that leaders of the Fiji Methodists Church were told to stand down by the government ahead of their annual conference, that was to start this week and told not to talk about politics.
The military banned the church’s meeting for the third year in a row because the church leaders would not comply with orders to stand down.
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Next week the Methodist Church meeting takes place in Suva. The Conference used to be an annual event but this is first time it has taken place in three years because of a ban imposed by the interim government. The General Secretary of the Church Reverend Tevita Banivanua says being able to hold its conference, even under scrutiny and on a Read more