The comments by the Catholic Church Archbishop of Fiji that the Constitution deprives Fijians of the right to practice religious beliefs in the public sphere are incorrect.
This is according to the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama after Archbishop Peter Loy Chong in an earlier interview with Fijivillage raised concerns with the new Constitution which states faith being a personal matter.
Commodore Bainimarama said nowhere in the 2013 Constitution is there any limitation on expressing religious belief publicly, individually or in a group.
According to Bainimarama the Bill of Rights expressly guarantees a Fijian's right to freedom of religion, conscience and belief and right to freedom of expression.
He said it is deeply troubling that the Archbishop has demonstrated such a fundamental lack of understanding of the Constitution's provision for a Secular State.
The Prime Minister added that such comments clearly have the potential to inflame public opinion which the Archbishop and other religious leaders have a special responsibility not to spread misinformation, and they must uphold that responsibility.
Archbishop Chong in an earlier interview said he had not read the constitution in full but only the part of Fiji being a secular state and faith being a personal matter.
The Archbishop said the faith being a personal matter is a concern for him as churches will now be limited to society.
According to the constitution, Section 22(2) states “Every person has the right, either individually or in community with others, in private or in public, to manifest and practice their religion or belief in worship, observance, practice or teaching.”
The government has also set the non-negotiable that Fiji will be a secular state and there will be no special preference for any religion.
Story by: Filipe Naikaso
