In written submissions to the Constitution Commission, the military said these practices were aimed at undermining and destabilising the good work done by the government.

The Military proposes that if the NGOs are to operate, they have to be transparent in their practices and funding.

Their submission recommends that all NGOs present annual audited accounts to the government, disclosing all funding in any form and disclosing any additional assets of the organisation.

The chairperson of the NGO's Coalition on Human Rights in Fiji says if critics of the interim government are under police surveillance, it casts doubts about whether the regime is genuine about restoring democracy to the country.

Shamima Ali's name has appeared in a document posted to the blog site Coupfourpointfive, which lists about 70 people including leaders of political parties, and trade unionists.

The report which includes comments about where people have travelled and who they've met, is allegedly compiled by the Fiji police, but the assistant commissioner says he's not aware of its existence.

Shamima Ali says people like herself have been told by police sources in the past that they are under surveillance but she had hoped things had changed.

Source

• Radio New Zealand
• The Fiji Times
• Image: FijiLive

President-elect Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu unveiled the principles of reconciliation in the lead-up to Christmas and the church's continuing effort in nation-building through grace.

Reverend Waqairatu said the principles of reconciliation had been passed in the previous conference and the work of reconciliation is not new to the church.

He said reconciliation was a mission for all the churches but for the Methodist Church, this needed to be internal and external.

"The church needs to clean itself. It needs to reconcile. There are some things we need to clean ourselves of — that is relationships between ministers and relationships between the church and some vanua chiefs," he said.

"We need to clean ourselves before we go out and stretch our hands to say we would like to amend our relationship with other churches and with the vanua and the state."

The Methodist Church is the largest Christian denomination in Fiji.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• The Fiji Sun
• Image: Croz Walsh's Blog

Representing the Peoples Community Network in a seminar titled "The Challenges of Poverty to the Constitution" held at the University of the South Pacific He said 60 per cent of the workers in full-time employment earned wages below the poverty line and 15-20 per cent of the people lived in squatter settlements.

"Poverty is a man-made problem which we ourselves can solve if we really want to," he said.

Barr said the constitution should address the rights of all the people to their basic needs.Source

Source

• The Fiji Times
• Image: WNN

Father Kevin Barr of ECREA said they had conducted awareness programs and workshops for their members on how they could make their voices heard.

He said workers had raised concerns because they believed that Fiji could not have peace without justice.

"Our main message today (Friday) is justice and peace," Father Barr said.

ECREA is a Non Government Organisation based in Suva, Fiji Islands. Founded in 1990 by the late Reverend Paula Niukula, with the aim to address the social, religious, economic and political issues that confront Fiji.

ECREA is guided by the principles of:

• Social Justice & Equity
• Integral Human Development
• Servant Leadership

Its website provides information about its programmes, resource centre and more.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• ECREA
• Image: WhoTalking

The submission has recommended a provision for a proposed draft Education Decree to be harmonised to recognise the international value of a parent's right to choose an education for their children.

The submission also recommended the recognition of the management of education institutions, which maintained their special character, in fostering respect for our diversity, and the development and sustainability of our democracy into the future.

Mataca said the mission of education was the integral formation of the human person.

It was much more than teaching children pure sciences, social sciences, mathematics, the English language and vernacular languages, he said.

"Education on values, diversity, tolerance and respect, justice, freedom and the rule of law are crucial."

"Our experiences of coups and social disruptions in the past 34 years indicated this need but also highlighted the lack of appreciation of the special character that cultures and religions contribute to the education of our people."

"In this regard, the government of the day must also recognise the special character of cultural and religious education institutions and the enormous benefits these have to strengthening a deeper appreciation of our diversity."

The Archbishop's submission also contained recommendations on land tenure, the role of the church in politics, and the environment.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• Image: The Fiji Times

Despite denials from the party on Pacific Beat yesterday that they hade made such a submission, Radio Australia has obtained a copy of the document, which clearly states that it was made on behalf of the party.

Listen to Radio Australia Pacific Beat

The SDL (Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua) was founded in 2001 by Laisenia Qarase. It is widely seen as the successor to the Alliance, the former ruling party that had dominated Fijian politics from the 1960s to the 1980s. It draws its support mainly from indigenous Fijiians.

The recommendations are contained in the SDL's submission to the Constitutional Commission. The SDL say they want the name "Fijian" to be reserved for the indigenous Fijians and all citizens to be called "Fiji Islanders".

SDL also proposes that there should be no provisions for dual citizenship.

SDL officials say that the party wants the term "sexual orientation" to be removed from the Bill of Rights of the 1997 constitution.

In that section it states that a person must not be unfairly discriminated against, directly or indirectly, on the ground of his or her sexual orientation.

They propose that parliament and senate should be retained, some communal seats to be retained and the balance to be won under the one man one vote system.

On the appointment of the country's President and Vice President, SDL has suggested that they should still be appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs.

Recently the blogger Graham Davis said, "The recent observation by the former vice-president, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, that race relations in Fiji have never been better is an important acknowledgement of unquestionably the Commodore Bainimarama Government's greatest achievement."

"This is its crusade to bridge the gulf between the races in Fiji and try to draw a line under the entrenched separateness that has always bedeviled the country and retarded its development. Whatever else it may have done since it seized the reins of power five and half years ago, the attempt to create one Fijian identity has been the most daring of the regime's initiatives and the most noble."

Source

• FijiVillage.com
• Wikipedia
• FijiSun
• Image: The Muslim Times