Perhaps the most unwelcome political development of the Easter weekend is news that the rulers of Fiji have abolished the constitution, sacked all the judges, clamped down on media freedoms, refused to hold elections and returned the country to the bad old days of political chaos.
All this stems from a recent ruling from the country's Court of Appeal that the current military government's coup and assumption of power in 2006 was illegitimate. A number of notable Australian jurists sit on the Fijian bench and it can only be assumed that they are now packing their bags and returning home.
This is sure to provide further foreign policy headaches for the Australian Government. Local diplomats must also be looking nervously to the northwest, as Pakistan slowly descends into what many commentators are describing as another failed state. For Fiji, official disregard for the rule of law, the inevitable decline in the economy and the political uncertainty of strong-armed military regimes means difficult times ahead for an economy that relies heavily on foreign tourism.
The military rulers of Fiji have in the past shown little regard for the views of the Australian Government, prosecuting their interests with scant regard for the court of international public opinion. It is hard to see how this situation will be any different.
Like many Pacific Islands, Fiji is a strongly Christian country. The President, Ratu Joesfa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, even signed his executive decree with the words 'May God bless Fiji’, yet these actions will bring further instability and uncertainty to its people. We need to pray for the churches and our brothers and sisters in Fiji as they face this new political reality and work out how to stand up for what is right.