Opposition MP Semi Koroilavesau has sharply criticised politicians who use Christian faith as a cover for stirring ethnic division, warning in Parliament that such behaviour threatens national unity as Fiji moves closer to its next general election. Speaking during the debate on the President’s Address, Koroilavesau called out what he labelled “Sunday Christians” — people who profess faith publicly but spend the week promoting ethnic hatred.
“It is the same upon those who claim to be Christians on Sunday but spend the rest of the week spreading the rot of ethnic hatred,” he told MPs, asking how anyone could “profess the love of Christ while your heart is a vessel of division.” Koroilavesau framed the practice as hypocrisy that corrodes public trust and weakens efforts to build an inclusive nation.
The opposition MP singled out those who cloak ethnic hostility in claims of defending indigenous interests, saying their rhetoric does more harm than good. “You are not protecting the iTaukei, you are holding us back. You are a hateful few who stand in the way of a blessed nation,” he said, accusing such actors of impeding social and economic progress by prioritising fear and division over constructive leadership.
Koroilavesau also invoked what he described as Fiji’s “152-year history” of calculated division between iTaukei and citizens of Indian descent, saying the resulting animosity has been one of the cruellest chapters of that history. “This hatred was not born here. It was imported to keep us weak,” he said, tying contemporary political manoeuvres to a longer narrative of factionalism that he said continues to exact a cost on the country.
As Parliament debated the President’s Address, Koroilavesau urged leaders and communities to resist those who profit from fear, and to choose unity, transparency and responsible leadership instead. “We must reject those who profit from fear,” he said, adding that Fiji’s future depends on leaders and citizens making deliberate choices to move away from divisive politics.
Koroilavesau’s remarks add to public scrutiny over the role of religion and ethnic identity in political discourse, and come at a time when national unity is a focal point of debate ahead of the next general election. By directly challenging figures who mix religious language with ethno-political messaging, the opposition MP sought to put moral pressure on political leaders to refrain from exploiting faith for partisan advantage.
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