Qarase - Methodist Church deal corrupt

Issue No: 926; 9 July 2001

 
A deal involving Laisenia Qarase and the Methodist Church of Fiji has been described as corrupt and a glaring example of bad governance.

The deal involves the Methodist Church's support for Qarase's political party, the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanu, in return for Qarase waiving all the city and town rates for the Church.

The Methodist Church owes the Suva City and other municipal councils hundreds of thousands of dollars in municipal rates. The rates were accumulated since after the 1987 coups when the Church started diverting Church funds from rate payments to political purposes supporting the coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka. The current leadership of the Church has also started doing the same.

Over the weekend, the Methodist Church's President Tomasi Kanalagi blessed Qarase's manifesto and referred to Qarase as the biblical Joshua, the Israeli warrior and leader.

Labour's President Mrs Jokapeci Koroi said this use of the Bible by Kanalagi to promote Qarase "indicated the sad corruption of the role of the church".

 

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