Parliament to continue tomorrow

Ko 'eku kole pe 'aku 'oku taha pe ki he Kapineti fo'ou. Mou fakaongoongo mu'a ki he 'Ateni Seniale ho'omou tu'ulahoko ho'omou folau he ta'u ni. Lahi e ngaahi tu'utu'uni hala ne fakahoko he Pule'anga motu'a ko e lahi e fakaongoongo pe 'anautolu kia nautolu mo 'enau kii' 'ilo, kae 'ikai 'ave ke 'ilo 'e he AG 'a 'enau ngaahi fai tu'utu'uni lahi. 'A ia ko 'ena ne tafoki pe Kapineti 'o foaki 'a e konga e uafu ki he Kautaha toutai 'a Tonga fepaki mamahi mo e Lao ki he Poate Taulanga, fai fu'u katoanga, ngalivale ai e foaki ai 'e he Pule'anga fu'u me'a 'oku 'ikai 'a'ana ke foaki, pea ha'u ki'i siasi 'o e Minisita Toutai 'o fai e fu'u katoanga fakatuputupulangi...fakama. Toe tafoki hake 'o paasi faka-Kapineti 'o ta'etute 'a e koloa toutai he fokotu'u 'a e Minisita Toutai, 'oku fepaki mamahi mo e Lao 'a e Pa'anga Hu Mai... Nau toe 'ai e fakaloloa e lakanga Sekelitali ki he kapineti 'a e tokotaha, ta koee 'oku fepaki mamahi mo e Lao 'a e PSC... toe tafoki hake 'o alea he me'a fakalao mo e ICAO ki he safety issues e fu'u vakapuna 'ikai pe ke 'oange ke advise 'e he AG he every step of the process ke ne 'ilo ki ai. Ko e fielau 'enau hee holo pea iku ke 'ikai fetaulaki e PM mo hono tokoni. Kole atu Akilisi Pohiva, 'oua te mou fai 'a e ta'efieauna 'a e kaume'a ne nau toki 'osi. Fakaongoongo ki he 'Ateni Seniale ho'omou fai tu'utu''uni, pea 'oua te mou situ'a mei he'ene fale'i kapau 'e 'ikai fe'unga mo homou loto. Ka pehee, 'e lakalaka-'i-tonu ai pe ho'omou fai tu'utu'uni 'oku fai.

There only one thing I ask of this Cabinet. Please always seek the advice of the Attorney General when making crucial decisions. In fact his advice should be sought in all of your decisions. You would be wise to learn from the mistakes of the outgoing Government when they either ignored or only sought the AG's advice when they felt like it. We recall when the outgoing Cabinet granted part of the wharf to the Tonga Fisheries Association (or some such association) on the proposal of the former Minister of Fisheries when in fact that part of the wharf was under the control of the Ports Authority and it did not belong to the Government let alone for it to grant to someone else. The pompous ceremony that accompanied the grant made the whole thing much more embarrassing!!! Not only that, it bypassed the Customs Act by passing a decision again at the proposal of the same former Minister, to exempt fisheries equipments from customs duties. It insisted on extending the employment contract of the Acting secretary to Cabinet in disregard the PSC Act....the aviation safety issues of the domestic planes that sparked the antipathy between the PM and his Deputy about the correspondences between the Government and ICAO... and a whole lot of other issues which could have been avoided only if the outgoing Government would have sought the Attorney's advice in every step of the process. We beseech Akilisi Pohiva and his Cabinet, do not be overconfident in yourselves. You would be wise to seek the Attorney General's advice in all your decisions, and do not refuse to consider it even if it does not suit your thoughts...then we should hope for a more plain sailing with your Government at the helm.