Editorial: Truth before prayer

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's call for global church leaders to pray for Fiji is timely. Prayers are needed, but they must be matched by truth, accountability and genuine forgiveness.

Speaking at the Billy Graham Global Diaspora Mis­sions in and Beyond Oceania Consultation in Nadi, Mr Rabuka acknowledged the challenges of seeking forgiveness.

"The islands of Fiji need your prayers. I'm still try­ing to come right with our own people," he said.

He admitted that some people might never forgive him, but he will continue to apologise to those he of­fended.

Apologies alone cannot heal the wounds of history. Fijians deserve the full truth about the past political upheavals.

As a Christian, Mr Rabuka knows the teaching in Matthew 5:23-24, which calls for reconciliation be­fore offering a gift at the altar. Genuine reconcilia­tion requires more than saying sorry.

It warrants an honest acknowledgment of wrongdoing and a will­ingness to confront its consequences.

For 39 years, Fiji has lived under shattered democ­racy. Ordinary Fijians suffered, lost their homes and livelihoods, migrated and endured hardship. Their pain cannot be forgotten. Their call for justice and the truth must he heard.

The proposed Constitution attracted national con­versation on the issue of immunity.

Fijians do not want protection for those responsi­ble for past upheavals. Immunity must not become a 'permanent' shield against justice. If the Constitu­tion is for Fijians, their concerns must be heard and included.

Prayer is powerful, but it must never become a veil that hides the truth. Mr Rabuka must now do more than ask for prayers and forgiveness. He must con­front the past with honesty, answer the questions Fijians have carried for 39 years and approves a con­stitution that puts justice and the people first.

Fiji's future begins with truth, accountability and reconciliation, not another generation of unan­swered questions. God forgives, men don't forget!