Constitution review submission hears call for Christian state

Declaring Fiji a secular State is a step too far, and the nation’s Christian identity must be formally recognised in the Constitution, a local business owner has told the Constitutional Review Commission.

In his submission, Semi Tukana argued that Fiji’s Christian foundation is “not negotiable,” warning that removing explicit acknowledgment of faith from Fiji’s supreme law risks undermining the values shaped by its history.

Mr Tukana took aim at the preamble of the 2013 Constitution, which defines Fiji as a Secular State. He said such a designation ignores the role Christianity has played in transforming Fiji.

“To be secular is to be godless,” he said, adding that Fiji’s forefathers embraced Christianity in a way that reshaped communities into what he described as “one of the friendliest, tolerant and accepting peoples in the world.”

He pointed to the foreword of the 1997 Constitution, which explicitly referenced the ‘blessing of God’ and acknowledged the conversion of iTaukei to Christianity, as a more appropriate reflection to Fiji’s identity.

Mr Tukana said Fiji’s democratic freedoms including the right to review the Constitution were rooted in that religious heritage. He argued that formally recognising Christianity would not erode other religious freedoms, but rather coexist with them.

“There is nothing wrong, and no one will lose anything, by stating that the nation acknowledges Christianity,” he said.

Mr Tukana recommended that the 2013 Constitution be amended to declare Fiji a Christian nation. He also called for legislation to guard against what he described as “radical teachings,” saying freedom of religion should not be used as a shield for practices that restrict individual choice.

“The declaration… is not negotiable,” Mr Tukana said.