Chiefs reminded of their duty to church, State and vanua
What is the purpose of the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC)? This was the question posed by the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma president, Reverend Ili Vunisuwai, to representatives of the GCC yesterday.
Reverend Vunisuwai emphasised that the GCC meeting, after a gap of 16 years, marked a new chapter for Fiji.
He stressed the importance for the representatives to reflect on how Fijians would benefit from the GCC meeting.
“Ask yourselves why we are here, what is the purpose of the GCC, and your individual purpose here?” Reverend Vunisuwai said. “Your service must be driven by love, directed towards serving the poor, the oppressed, and improving lives. We are called for this purpose.
“The Government must ensure that it takes care of every Fijian and their diverse needs,”
“When we lack clarity about our purpose, the GCC loses its value, and the Government loses touch with the essence success.
“Therefore, we must introspect and determine the kind of service we are capable of providing.
“This is the purpose the church, the Government, and the vanua have been summoned to fulfill. We must protect our country, promote prosperity, and live a life guided by love.”
Reverend Vunisuwai became emotional as he highlighted a letter from Indo-Fijian leaders. “They wrote a letter to me regarding the church service held a few weeks ago for the Girmitiyas. In their letter, they expressed their distress upon hearing that 75 per cent of iTaukei were living below the poverty line during the Economic Summit,” he said.
“They expressed their willingness to collaborate with the iTaukei community to eradicate poverty. Their words deeply affected me. Addressing poverty should be a priority for the GCC.
“Let us discuss this issue and I pray that God will bless the GCC in its endeavors to address these concerns.” of its electoral