 The church in Fiji frequently played a significant role in politics – senior leaders of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma supported the coup of 2000 and the subsequent proposal to pardon those involved.Even the possibility of declaring Fiji a theocratic Christian state was proposed in the past.This has brought Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama, leader of the December 2006 coup, in conflict with the Methodist church in the past.