Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama stressed that the Methodist Church of Fiji needs to get rid of Reverend Tomasi Kanailagi and Reverend Manasa Lasaro because they have always taken a political stand in the guise of church activities.
Commodore Bainimarama said the recent paper prepared by Reverend Lasaro to be discussed in the church conference was inciteful and could have caused instability.
He said this cannot be condoned and that is the reason for cancelling this year's Annual Church Conference in Rewa.
It has now been made clear to the Methodist Church to actively make changes and remove politics from the church agenda if it wants to hold its Annual Conference in the future.
Bainimarama has today made his stand clear that there will be no conference this year and the annual meet will be cancelled again next year if politics remains in the church agenda.
He said it is no use to meet with the church executives again because the government will not change its stance.
The Prime Minister also said that the green light will not be given even if Reverend Lasaro and Reverend Kanailagi are removed from the church's standing committee.
Methodist Church executives had decided earlier this week that they would approach Bainimarama again to reconsider his decision to cancel this year's conference in Rewa.
Former Methodist Church president Reverend Manasa Lasaro maintained that they have not taken a political stand and they can only be removed by the church executives.
