PM Prays With Kids Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday recited a prayer to the students of Kalabu High School and called it “A Prayer for Fiji.” This was the same prayer given at the presidential assent of the new Constitution last September, he said. “It is a prayer that can be recited by every Fijian irrespective of their individual beliefs – a prayer for Fiji,” he said. The prayer is “Oh God, we ask you to bless us as we gather in your name. Guide us in our prayers and thoughts and help us to do your will. We pray for our country and our leaders and ask you to grant us wisdom. We pray for every Fijian, both at home and abroad. We pray for equality, justice and compassion in our national life. Help us to assist each other and especially the vulnerable. May we always strive for what is just and good, in your name. Amen.” He admitted that he was astonished by the suggestion of older politicians that “our new Constitution means that God is no longer at the centre of our national life.” This, he said, was a lie. He asked every Fijian to reject the idea. “The truth is quite clearly laid out in the Constitution and I urge everyone to read it. In simple terms the right of every Fijian to follow his or her own religious belief is protected. It is enshrined in our supreme law.” He said every Fijian had the right to worship privately and publicly. In other words, he added, there was no barrier to any school holding scripture classes or holding prayers, as some people had either mistakenly or deliberately misinterpreted the law. He said the Constitution required that all Fijians respect the religious beliefs of others. “It requires us not to force our own particular beliefs on others, not to force others to worship as we do, not to force others to pray to the supreme being in the manner we believe in. We must give the people the choice to choose for themselves,” he said. The Constitution, he said, provided for a secular state. “It simply means that the State – the Government of the day, the lawmakers, the judges, everyone – cannot favour any one religion or denomination.” The state, he said, must be neutral. “We are protecting everyone’s religious rights, upholding their right to their beliefs and rejecting the bigotry of religious extremists whoever they may be.” He said God would be with them as they moved the nation forward. He said religions and denominations shared common values – our love for God, love for our fellow human beings. “I believe God stands for justice and truth, for love, compassion and tolerance and religious tolerance.”
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 03:37:26 +0000
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