There’s never a dull day in the world of politics.
In Fiji, the legal drama over some public appointments continues.
Regionally, trouble has been brewing in Samoa over Prime Minister Fiame Mata’afa’s leadership while Tonga had a new PM.
On the world stage, news of US President Donald Trump’s first few days in office continues to stir fear and uncertainty.
One piece of news that got me interested this week was when a certain church senior official in the US gave some lessons from the altar, much to the frustration dismay of those in the congregation, including Mr Tump.
If you had the chance to watch this popular event, you would have seen President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance looking visibly bothered.
This happened during the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday.
Among faith leaders who spoke at the event was Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, who had been a vocal critic of Trump and the U.S. government following George Floyd’s death.
Rev Budde, of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, talked about the need for “unity,” but her end remarks took a turn when she brought up issues in relation to immigrants and LGBTQ youth.
Addressing Mr Trump directly she said: “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God.”
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic and Republican and Independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
At this point, a look of uneasiness settled on Mr Trump’s face. Mr Vance could not keep his head still.
“And the people – the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meet packing plants, who wash the dishes at their restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they – they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” Rev Budde said.
“They pay taxes and are good neighbors,” she said. “They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues… and temples.”
The reverend asked Trump to have “mercy on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones of persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome, our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to a stranger.”
Her plea did not go down well with the most powerful man in the world, who later demanded an apology saying the reverend had brought her church into politics “in a very ungracious way”.
“She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” Mr Trump told the US media. “She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!”
In response to Mr Trump’s comments, Rev Budde later said she stood by her words and wouldn’t offer an apology.
As an outsider in American politics, I quite admire the reverend for ‘telling it like it is’.
What she did was an act of courage because she deliberately chose to openly express concerns on behalf of vulnerable citizens and workers.
Many a times, we seem to believe that the pulpit is strictly for everything spiritual. But it is important to note that our faith leaders wield so much power and clout that whatever they say will have a huge bearing on how members of the congregation make decisions, talk and behave.
They have the sterling opportunity to shape the destiny of the world and society we live in by promoting a sense of morality, fairness and justice, advocating for peace and reconciliation, and guiding people toward social cohesion and unity.
Issues on drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, corruption, pornography, crime and the rise in HIV/AIDS and STIs (among other topics) need to be heard from the pulpit so that our faiths remain relevant to the lives of our young people and citizens.
Who says we can’t talk about politics in church? Politics impact every person and everything from education, healthcare and the cost of living to criminal justice and the environment.
In fact, the problem is that our religious leaders are not talking about the host of societal ills that we encounter every day. We hide behind religiosity and conservatism, at the same time fuel the flame that makes our problems spiral out of control.
We need religious leaders to be pragmatic and to speak the truth, especially when it seems uncomfortable.
Like Rev Budde, we must hold our leaders at all levels of the community, accountable, by speaking out courageously and with firmness of heart.
We should strongly demand that our leaders use diplomacy to address Trump’s intimidation tactics and total disregard for the principles of good global citizenship.
The latest policies coming out of Washington, from pulling out from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation to relaxing safety and security safeguards in favour of billion dollar tech companies, do not augur well for developing nations like ours that look up to the US as a champion of democratic ideals and justice and a leader on environmental issues.
Professor Toby Walsh, the Laureate Fellow & Scientia Professor of AI at the University of New South Wales as well as Chief Scientist at UNSW’s AI Institute said he feared the triumph of ‘toxic tech capitalism’.
“…with AI supercharging the sort of surveillance capitalism that social media first introduced. What I fear is not just an attack on privacy, and of increasing inequality within our society, but for the very fabric of our democracy as misinformation and disinformation flourish, and the very rich take ever more control,” he said.
Associate Professor Ben Neville is Deputy Director of Melbourne Climate Futures and a researcher in Management & Marketing at the University of Melbourne said Trump’s policies on the environment were a concern.
“Climate change is a global problem that doesn’t respect borders, and so a ‘drill, baby, drill’ mentality, and pulling out of the best hope for global cooperation through the Paris Agreement, is bad news for us all.”
As rising sea levels make our Pacific Island homes unsustainable for living due to the adverse effects of climate change, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries will need to campaign hard against the bigger nations of the world that seem to be trivialising the effects of climate change on the environment and feel that they are invincible.
We do not know how the full effects Trump’s second term will affect everyone in the world, even us in Fiji and the Pacific. But we do know that things will never be the same.
We cannot and must not accept a mentality based on ruling by fear. Therefore when we notice we are going down a path where policies of government and leaders drive fear rather than rationale, we the people should be not be afraid to speak to the powers that be.
We must be vigilant in monitoring our politicians and leaders in the community, and speak out at the right time.
Until we meet on this same page same time next week, stay blessed, stay healthy and stay safe!
