Still a lot of work to be done in Solomons, says Tongan PM [1]
Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 09:45. Updated on Monday, April 14, 2014 - 10:46.
Honiara, Solomon Islands:
The Tongan Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, HRH Prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata was interviewed by Linny Folau in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on 24 July 2004, while he was attending the first anniversary of RAMSI, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomons. Linny, a staffer for the Matangi Tonga Online, was part of a Pacific group media visit to the Solomons and Australia, under an Australian Government program.
Linny Folau -What are the benefits Tonga gets from its participating in this kind of Peace Keeping operation?
HRH Prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata - We actually came here for the benefit of the Solomon Islanders to help them find the peace and prosperity that we have in Tonga, and as good neighbours when we were asked to help in this operation. The benefits for us, in the military and in the police, it provides a benchmark to measure ourselves against other police and military forces of another country. So in a way, it validates our training as well as helping a neighbour. So it's mutually beneficial. And I think you would find that many of our soldiers and police force value what we have back in Tonga now they have been to another country.
"It will take a long time before RAMSI is a success...
there is still a lot of work to be done"
In your view do you think RAMSI is the appropriate model for a future South Pacific peacekeeping force?
I think it is possible and they are still studying it but it will take a long time before RAMSI is a success. One year doesn't mean that it will always be successful, there is still a lot of work to be done, there are still [the problems of breakdown of] law and order to combat although they have been reduced. There are still problems in the courts, there is a backlog in the court system. There is still a lot of work to be done in Health and Education, these are the hard things like infrastructure, the roads, internal communications and air services, all these things that we already have in Tonga, but Solomon Islanders don't.
Would it have been appropriate to send to Bougainville in 1994 a force with a similar structure as RAMSI?
Yes and no, the part we were involved in [in Bougainville] was to enable the two sides to come together and talk, and that was in 1994.
What will happen to the Tongan Military Contingent to the Solomons?
The military will leave the Solomons until they are needed again, they are talking about rotating countries so there may be a certain number from one or two countries, and they are going to rotate that and the Australian army and some of the other Pacific Islands, including PNG, Fiji, and Tonga.
You had a briefing yesterday with the Special Coordinators of RAMSI, what was the result of that?
Same thing we talked about a year ago that we need to have peace, we need to have reconciliation, and the military and police forces are the shaping of those. However, the hard things like health, education, infrastructure and transport, those come later, but there are no quick solutions, they are long term solutions.
Is there any compensation for the Tongan military and policemen if they are hurt or killed here in the Solomons?
It's similar to what the soldiers have but being a policeman is slightly different to being a soldier, the condition of service is what we are talking about, compensation packages and insurance but then commission of entry is different from military as for the police. For example, half way through their deployment here for six months the police choose either to go home or to Australia for two weeks. The soldiers did not have that opportunity they are here for six months and they stay until that six months. So you can see some things are different.
"One great thing...
that stands out is probably the culture, the Tongan culture of giving and service without asking for any rewards."
In your view can you comment on the main strength the Tongan Contingent have showed in this operation?
I think the Tongan soldiers and the police that were and are here have worked very hard. And I have been told and seen myself that it's good to have mixed bags of tools, it's good to have Tongan and Fijians, Solomon Islanders or Australians to work together because they all bring in different skills.
But if there is one great thing that I have to pick out that stands out is probably the culture, the Tongan culture of giving and service without asking for any rewards. Its cultural sharing, and ever since our soldiers and police have been here they have been told to contribute to charities. To share what little they have whether it's skills or tools. And I was told by the Australians that they appreciate the Tongans because it was easier for them to integrate with Solomon Islanders, whereas it is harder to integrate with Australians.
How is Tonga...s relationship with Australia at the moment?
I think it's been very good. I think what they got right, RAMSI has got right, is that we need different countries who have different resources. For example, we are not very rich in military resources like the Australians, whereas we are culturally easier integrate with Solomon Islanders and Pacific Islanders. So we all bring different skills to this operation for a job that is to be done.
What is the difference and similarities of the Iraqi and RAMSI operations?
It is different but it is the same in that we were asked for help.
How many Tongan soldiers are in Iraq and how long are they staying there for?
There are 45 soldiers in Iraq. At the moment they are looking at serving for six months.
Is the Iraqi operation solely a US funded mission and does Tonga fund anything?
Not everything is funded by the US government, some things are funded by Tonga, like their weapons - those are the same weapons that they use in Tonga, so they took those personal weapons to Iraq. However, things like desert uniforms, helmets, bullet-proof life jackets, things they do not have in Tonga such as night-vision goggles will be provided by the forces they are attached to.
How about the operation here in the Solomons?
It's a partnership we basically pay their basic wages the same if they are here or in Tonga. However, there are allowances for serving here in the Solomon Islands. Some of those allowances are paid by the Australian Government, some of the equipment is paid for by the Australian and New Zealand Government and some of the transportation costs are the same. But it's not that any one country pays for everything. It's a partnership.
Is there any compensation if they get hurt or killed?...
That will depend upon the circumstances for example there are things called combat deaths, there are accidental deaths so it will depend upon the circumstances.
Would it have been appropriate for a joint South Pacific force to go into Iraq as one rather then individual countries going in themselves like what Tonga is doing?
Obviously Iraq is not in the South Pacific. I think that is something for the new Iraqi Government to decide and that is part of the reason why they are staying for six months. We came in here on a different conditions, going to Iraq was on different conditions than RAMSI. But what I am talking about is having a sovereign country invite you to come in and help. Solomon Islands is a sovereign country that has a parliament, government and the people asked for RAMSI. Obviously in a failed state like Iraq they did not really have a government or people or anybody who had a united front.
What has amazed you after a year since the arrival of RAMSI?
I think the difference of what happened a year ago to what is happening today. Children are back to school, treatments are back in the hospital, people walking around after dark, people are still selling betel-nut or coconuts.
Can you comment on the Tongan People's Representatives petition for your resignation as Prime Minister?
I am very happy that they take notice of what a Prime Minister does -hoping they would take notice together and come forward together.
In fact, many of the Solomon Island politicians asked me to give them a copy of the Tongan Constitution because they say that the Westminster system for them does not work. So they are asking to see whether we can help them in having traditional chiefs for their roles to be recognised and also the roles of the government to be recognised and also to have more fairer way of representation for people. To have the same voice, because as you know the system here is a little bit different, they have a more temporal system, they have problems with national power at the moment there...s a very sensitive issue on power, in the national central government, and in the Tongan system.
This is like saying what the People's Representative were saying last year and the year before, they wanted a proportional representation. At the moment, for example, most of the population resides in Tongatapu so there are three People's Representatives from there. So if they wanted the People's Representatives to be proportional to the population, which means that the people in the Niuas and Ha'apai at the moment they have one person from Niua and two from Ha'apai. If you change that proportion of representation that means that only the people in Tongatapu would get anything because 80 per cent of the people live in Tongatapu. At the moment our form of government wants to equalise that to have the people in Niua, 'Eua and Ha'apai so that they could have equal representatives and access to education and communication. Proportional representation, for example, something they have proposed already would get rid of those things and just make everything political. I have given them my thoughts and my words but, of course, they don't listen.
See also: Safer Solomons thanks to good neighbours, says Tongan PM [2]
Gun free monument marks region's mission in the Solomons [3]