New Ministers reject criticism [1]
Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 18:00. Updated on Thursday, May 8, 2014 - 22:11.
The two former People's Representatives who were appointed to the Tongan Cabinet in March have rejected claims that they had done nothing for the people.
After six months of being Cabinet Ministers Hon. Dr Feleti Sevele, and Hon. Sione Haukinima, told a Press Conference on Monday, September 20 that they have achieved in only six months what they had been trying to achieve in six years as People's Representatives to the Tongan parliament.
They are the first two Cabinet Ministers to be appointed from the MPs elected by the people, Feleti as the Minister for Labour, Commerce and Industries, and Sione as the Minister for Forestry.
The two ministers called the press conference because they wanted to respond to criticism made by some of the People's Representatives who claimed that the two new ministers had done nothing for the people who elected them since they were appointed by the King as ministers on March 21.
Precarious position
Feleti was elected in the March election as the Tongatapu No. 3 People's Representative, and he said that his subsequent appointment to Cabinet was an opportunity that most PRs hoped for, to be able to get things done.
Feleti admitted that the position where they have found themselves was very precarious, "between a rock and a hard place", but they were pleased with their achievements during the past six months.
Growers tax exemption
Those achievements, they explained, were the exemption of all growers from the Consumption Tax, the appointment of an Australian woman to head the Customs Department, the acceptance by government of an idea for the establishment of an Anti Corruption Commission, and also for a Trade and Investment Board.
Feleti said that the Trade and Investment Board would manage all government investments, and would also be responsible for finding new markets for Tongan products. He was optimistic that a new bill for the establishment of the Board would be passed by the House before the end of the 2005 parliamentary session.
The two ministers also said that government had accepted their submission for the establishment of an Anti Corruption Commission. Feleti said that details on the structure of the Commission had yet to be formulated but Tonga definitely needed such a Commission to deal with corruption, which was rumoured to have taken place within government.
Referendum needed
With regards to why it took government so long to agree to the demands of the Civil Servants for a 60, 70, and 80% salary rise. Feleti said that the fact that it was slow was like "divine guidance", because it brought everything to a point where at the end every Tongan finally realised that we have to change the way we do things and make political reforms. However, Feleti sincerely believed that Tonga should have a referendum on the issue for the people to have the right to elect all the members of parliament.
Next election
When asked if they would stand for election again in the next parliamentary election in 2008, Feleti said he would not, though he favoured the approach of appointing ministers from elected members. He said that the term that a People's Representative spends in the House was a learning period before he or she would be appointed to become a Cabinet Minister. Feleti said that he believed that the Government's approach was to slowly increase the number of elected members who were appointed as ministers and after one or two Parliamentary Elections all Cabinet Ministers would be appointed from the representative elected by the people.
Sione Haukinima on the other hand believed that it was very useful for the Niuas to have an elected representative as a Cabinet Minister. He said that the concerns of the Niuas were better presented to government with him in Cabinet so if being in Cabinet was good for the Niuas he would stand for election again in the next Parliamentary Election.