Fiji's National Council for Building a Better Fiji has launched a scathing attack on the Methodist Church over its rejection of the Council's draft People's Charter.
At its annual conference Fiji's Methodist Church voted unanimously against the Charter, saying it cannot be seen to support a military-backed government, which took power by force.
Don Wiseman has more:
"The Church's general secretary, the Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu, calls the Charter an illegal and dangerous document. But in a news release the National Council says it is disappointed by the Church's decision. It says many people are amused by the new moralistic tone of the Church leadership, given its support for previous coups. The Council says the Reverend Waqairatu has not shown how the Charter will cause division and it asks how peaceful ethnic relations can be fostered or future coups stopped without the help of the police or military. It says the members of the Methodist Church should not be misled by claims the Charter will be imposed on people, but that the people will decide. The Council says this is in direct contrast with the actions of the Church leadership which forces its minority views on the people."
