WACC PACIFIC STATEMENT: COMMUNICATION FOR PEACE ESSENTIAL IN TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY

From Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>
Date Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:19:14 -0700

WACC PACIFIC STATEMENT: COMMUNICATION FOR PEACE ESSENTIAL IN TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY 


Suva, Fiji Islands, September 4, 2011
Pacific Members of the World Association of Christian Communications based in Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu, committed to the development, production and distribution of communications tools grounded in the commitment to social and gender justice and communication rights, call for the restoration of inclusive dialogue processes with the leadership of the Methodist Church in Fiji.
"The state needs to demonstrate a commitment to an inclusive process to the return to parliamentary democracy," says the President of the WACC Pacific Executive Committee, Rev. Akuila Yabaki:
"These actions against the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, constitute a clear violation of the fundamental human right to religious freedom and do not augur well for building confidence, trust and a safe space for communication, particularly at the local community level to enable communities to trust and participate in political processes including constitutional reforms and national elections.
WACC Pacific also calls on the Methodist Church in Fiji to urgently address the necessary adjustments in its leadership:
"We also recognise that this is a critical time for the Methodist Church in Fiji to reassess its mission in a multiracial society and be part of the solution in communicating and building sustainable peace."
WACC Pacific also calls for a review of the Public Emergency Regulation in order to enable leadership of the church, and other faith based organisations as well as NGOs and civil society organisations to participate in community and media based discussions to enhance the work to return Fiji to parliamentary democracy by September 2014.
About WACC: The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) promotes communication for social change. It believes that communication is a basic human right that defines people's common humanity, strengthens cultures, enables participation, creates community and challenges tyranny and oppression. WACC's key concerns are media diversity, equal and affordable access to communication and knowledge, media and gender justice, and the relationship between communication and power. It tackles these through advocacy, education, training, and the creation and sharing of knowledge. WACC's worldwide membership works with faith-based and secular partners at grassroots, regional and global levels, giving preference to the needs of the poor, marginalised and dispossessed. Being WACC means 'taking sides'. 
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