Fiji’s First Adventist President
Jioji Konousi Konrote says he knows his priorities.
By Kent Kingston
Fiji’s first Seventh-day Adventist president says he loves his South Pacific island nation but will keep God first in everything he does.
President Jioji Konousi Konrote, 68, who assumed office in November, is a career soldier who rose through the ranks of Fiji’s armed forces and later became a diplomat and a politician. He was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church four years ago and held the twin roles of member of parliament and government minister when the parliament elected him as president.
President Konrote reviews the honor guard.
Konrote said in an interview that it was not a challenge to balance his Christian faith with everyday politics. “I’m very much guided by my conscience, and that is based on what is right before the Lord,” he said.
“Before I make a decision, I get down on my knees and ask the Lord, ‘Is this right before You, Lord?’ And if it is, that’s it, that’s what’s going to be done,” he said. “It sounds very simplistic, but that’s it. That’s the way I’ve been living my life.”
Konrote acknowledged with a chuckle that his faith has not endeared him with people at times.
“I’ve been a soldier all along,” he said. “People say: ‘You’ve gone into politics. You’re a politician.’ But I say: ‘No, I may be in politics as a minister of government, but I will always live my life as a soldier. What is right before the Lord will remain right. There’s no compromise when it comes to that.’ ”
Konrote is the only Fijian to have been appointed as a United Nations (UN) force commander. He served as UN assistant secretary-general and force commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, confirming Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 1978.
The role of president is largely ceremonial, which under Fiji’s 2013 constitution makes him the commander in chief of the armed forces and gives him certain powers that may be exercised in a national crisis.
Konrote spoke candidly about his role, which is notable not just because he is an Adventist but also because he is the first ethnic Rotuman to become head of state and the first president not to belong to a chiefly family.
Did the election come as a surprise to you?
It was certainly a surprise. I’m most humbled and very grateful for the fact that I was considered worthy to be appointed to the post.
You’re not only the first Adventist and the first Rotuman to hold this position, you’re also the first from a nonchiefly line. What’s the significance of that?
Since we became a republic in 1987, the president has always been along chiefly lines. But I don’t think this is an issue as far as this government is concerned. The 2013 constitution is all about equal citizenry, and it states that whoever is going to be appointed should have a record of service to the country.
What is your vision for Fiji?
We want Fiji to be one nation, one people, one destiny.
How long have you been a Seventh-day Adventist?
I’m a very new member of the church. I was born a Methodist and raised a Methodist. But I left the Methodist Church four years ago, so I’m a new member of the church. It’s a long story, but a lot of things prompted me and the whole family to make the switch, starting with the fact that I lived in the Middle East and in Israel, the land where the Savior walked.
Reading the Bible and going back and comparing it with the secular history convinced me. It’s not that I don’t like other denominations, but it was time, I guess. God has His time and place for everything. When it was time to go, I was very much guided by the Word of the Lord, you know, to “come out of her, my people”—come out from Babylon.
Jioji Konousi Konrote is sworn in as Fiji’s new president in Suva on November 12, 2015.
A position like this comes with a new level of scrutiny. Adventists in particular will ask, “Is this man going to represent us well?”
Not only am I going to represent our little community, but I will also represent all the people of Fiji, regardless of religion, race, or ethnic background. That’s my guide. But the fact remains: I’m an Adventist.
So Adventists shouldn’t be worried?
I don’t think they should be worried. People are happy. I’ve been getting the support of the people. All I’m asking is for all Christians, including our Adventist people, to keep praying and keep righteous before the Lord.
