Preamble



It gives us some comfort to know that Tongans abroad are united in condemning the violence and destruction to our beloved Kingdom. Initially established as a well-meaning political quest, the pro-democracy movement has in recent years been infiltrated by self-interest and misconceived democratic principles. We have poured our heart out in shock and grief for the innocent and the general population who will quietly suffer the consequences. I have drawn our attention on a number of occasions to the major flaw of the proposed models either by the Pro-Democracy, Government or the National Committee for Political Reform; which is the inherent vicious cyclic nature of its system of power and the implied lack of accountability to the general population. When our politicians claimed that, the voice of hundreds and at best, a thousand as the voice of the people of Tonga, there is definitely something wrong. However, we have learned the hard way what a vocal minority are capable of in a liberal society.



We have said so much. Our voice from afar should have been a good sounding board for our politicians. But that was all to no avail. The leading People Representatives have accused us of being far away and therefore out of touch with the political situation in Tonga. Thus, we do not know what we are talking about. They know best because they live in Tonga. But neglecting the fact that we have a living experience and knowledge of the type of society they aspire to emulate flaws this sweeping accusation. Nevertheless, it would be hard for the pro-democracy and similarly the government to seriously take into account our views as Tongan expatriates. This is reflected in the eligibility criteria for candidate for the People Representative in the proposed model; that a candidate has to reside in the electorate area for at least two years. It looks simple, and yet, a clear violation of our constitutional right as Tongan citizens, regardless of our locality. In addition, we have not heard a flicker on Dual Citizenship from either government or the people representatives.



The outcome of the political blunder by the Pro-Democracy is that the general public has gradually come to realize that their rights were not taken into account. That realization will redraw the political landscape of Tonga in years to come. But, Is there a need for a new political platform? The platform embraced by the pro-democracy, which is based on POWER alone, has come to its bitter end. Although we cannot take power out of politics, it should be treated as an integral part of politics, not its entirety. To the question of needs, Is there a need to establish a new platform for political reform? The answer is, YES. Then consequently, the issue is content. What would it be?



The fundamental premise for the new platform is a definition of politics as the

"Science of ruling a society". In this context, politics deals not only with its subject matter such as constitution, law, power, authority and institutions, but most importantly, it takes into account both the intrinsic and extrinsic nature of their relations to other aspects and modes of operation within the society such as economics, social norms, culture and history. It is educational in its orientation, which also implied that as a social process, it is complex, dynamic and mostly dialectical by nature. Thus, there is no set time frame for such a process. It is clear from the current state of affairs in Tonga that a simplistic view of democracy and the learning process involved is as dangerous as not knowing about it at all



Objectives



To establish an infrastructure for both the organization and other stakeholders to have constructive dialogue on policy relating to Political Reform in Tonga and other issues vital to the national development of the Kingdom.

To establish a platform for national dialogues which ensure that all sectors of the society, their interests and modes of operation are included in any discussion about social reform in the Kingdom.



Working Agenda



...· The new office of the society for Political Research will be established in Nuku'alofa with a core staff to start working on registration requirements for the organization in accord with the Law of Tonga.