On 12 May 2005, Ah Koy became embroiled in controversy over the Fijian translation of the Bible, saying that its use of the word ""Kalougata"" invoked pagan deities, the snake gods worshipped by the ancestors of Fijians living today. This was, he said, the root cause of generational curses afflicting the country. ""Coups, murders, rapes, violence, brutality, burglaries, incest, rebellion, homosexuality and other forms of social ills and criminality are a product of a generational curse happening mostly in the indigenous Fijian community,"" the Daily Post quoted him as saying. He attributed this curse to the frequent use of the word ""Kalougata,"" which, he said, actually invoked a curse on the recipient rather than the intended blessing. He called on the Bible Society to come up with new words to replace the offending word. Ah Koy was supported by the Reverend Josateki Koroi, a former president of the Methodist Church who was deposed in the 1987 coups, who said that he totally agreed with his comments.