Community consultations, a new approach to law making [1]
Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 11:00. Updated on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 13:55.
From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 1, May 2002.
Tonga’s Ministry of Labour and Commerce is trying a new approach towards law making and looking for more input from the community.
The Ministry carried out a two days consultation meeting at the Tonga National Centre from April 8-9 with local business people to discuss and to encourage input to the amendment of the Business License Bill, and a Foreign Investment Bill.
“The Ministry is hoping to submit both Bills this year so that they can come into effect next year ”, said Paulo.
Last year a similar meeting was called by the Ministry, to discuss administrative barriers in the application for licenses.
The government has set up a Private Consultative Committee to look at each comment and input raised at the consultation meeting.
“This committee will have the final say whether these inputs will be included into the Bill and Regulation. The Minister of Labour and Commerce, Hon. Masaso Paunga, is the chairperson and there are 15 core members,” Paulo said.
From the committee the Bill will be submitted to the Cabinet, and passed to the Law Reform Committee, and on to the Legislative Assembly. The Regulations will be submitted to the Cabinet.
The two-days consultative meeting was attended by about 20 business men and women, including a Tongatapu People’s Representative Feleti Sevele, Hon ‘Akau’ola from the Ministry of Fisheries, Papiloa Foliaki from Women in Business, and Susana Fotu from the Immigration Department. Also present was the Bank of Tonga manager, Brian Harris, and the Tonga Development Bank manager, Afu’alo Matoto.
Papiloa Foliaki, a Nuku‘alofa businesswoman, suggested that the Ministry of Labour should have a scanning process to check every foreign investor that came into Tonga.
Christine ‘Uta‘atu, an accountant, suggested that the date of license registration should be changed, and instead of running January to December, why not June to July?
Paulo said that the law would directly affect business holders. “In the area of business it is very important to call public meetings such as this ”, he said.