A wakening of constitutional protections for religious freedom could put Fiji’s social harmony, equality and peaceful coexistence at risk.
This was the message from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Pacific Area President, Elder Taniela Wakolo, as he urged the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) to maintain Fiji as a secular state and preserve constitutional protections for religious freedom.
Elder Wakolo said religious freedom was a right that extended beyond people of faith and applied to every citizen.
He said it included the freedom to worship, the freedom not to worship, and the freedom for people of different beliefs to live together with mutual respect and dignity.
“Fiji’s long history of religious diversity had been one of the nation’s strengths, contributing to social harmony and community service across many generations,” he said.
Elder Wakolo said people from many faith traditions had helped build Fiji by serving their neighbours, strengthening families, caring for vulnerable people and contributing to the nation’s wellbeing.
“Constitutional protections allowing people to live according to their sincerely held beliefs should be carefully preserved because they enabled individuals and communities to contribute freely to the common good.”
He said those protections benefited not only religious organisations but society as a whole.
“The measure of religious freedom is not how well it protects the majority. It is how well it protects everyone.”
He said a just and peaceful society ensured that people of every faith, and those of no faith, were treated equally under the law.
Elder Wakolo said people could hold different beliefs while remaining united as citizens, adding that religious freedom created space for respectful dialogue, cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
He said these principles had served Fiji well and should continue to guide the country’s future.
