Tonga govt vehicles burn after students threaten arson attacks

Turning children into vandals
I believe that the strikers have lost sight of their original goal. Now they are just making full use of the opportunity to slander others and spread bitterness. They are also stirring dissension,disrespect and rebellion among impressionable school students.

If the strikers looked carefully at their motives they would indeed find them to be selfish. If the strikers looked carefully at their actions and views they are broadcasting, they would find that they are INCITING VIOLENCE. I don't know why they continue to think that righteousness is on their side when they are turning children into vandals and hoodlums; smashing other people's property and terrorising students who keep attending the government schools.

The strikers themselves have sworn at and slandered workers who refuse to stay from work. Why can't they just go about their strike peacefully, without bothering those who don't want to take part? Why do they have to be so resentful? Obviously the strikers do not realise that they are not only causing economic and political disruption but that they are also disrupting the peace. They are inciting violence, ill feelings, slander, disrespect and a whole lot of evil. I hope they think about this when they get together to pray next.
A little less criticising others in the government who are still working and a bit more focus on their salary demands would be better. And next time they think they are striking peacefully, they should take a good look at the rebellious and terrorist behaviour that they have stirred up in the school kids! They should take a good hard look at the children's behavior now and ask themselves if that's the kind of attitude they want in their homes. Standing up for justice and what is right? All they are doing is creating mass hysteria in a crazed arena where every Tom, Dick and Harry with a personal grievance about someone still working in the government, gets to stab that person in the face with vicious slander!!
Our school kids are seeing this sort of behavior and taking the opportunity to have an extended holiday and go on a spree of violence and terrorism. When government students of Tonga High School and 'Atele marched defiant of authority, showing a tendency towards rebellion and disrespect for authority, they were applauded by the strikers. The strikers welcomed these young people who are too immature to know what's right. The blatant destruction caused at 'Atele shows their level of immaturity. Did strikers also applaud the violent and terrorist behavior shown when school buildings and vehicles were damaged by their so called young supporters at 'Atele? Worse still, did strikers encourage and even plan this illegal act? The way strikers and their supporters have been acting lately this wouldn't be a surprise. These are people who have lost their morals and are filled with greed and bitterness disguised as righteousness. - Nau Takau, ‘Atele, Tonga

What are they thinking?
“Tonga College has been a target of attacks by rival school in the past, and it had just been restored, but this latest attack was the first time that it was carried out by the students of Tonga College themselves.”
This is just my comment towards this on going strike between the people in Tonga and the government.
I agreed with the people when they went on strike. I supported them in every way and felt that their demand was not unreasonable and that it should be met by the King and his son.
Now, that this violence erupted in destroying a college that is used for education, I’m deeply saddened by this. As strikers they should have kept it as peaceful and more power in prayer instead of taking matters in their own hands. Yes, the students are saddened by the removal of their principal and tutor but that doesn’t give them any RIGHT to destroy property.
You can say it’s easier for me, cause I am here in America and you are in Tonga, but no matter where we are to get up and destroy and damage property that isn’t yours, there is no excuse for that. I pray and hope that the people continue to rally on more peacefully note. And that they get their point across and be heard instead of a violent end. - Oli Niupalavu, USA

Immature - Wrong and Right
The scathing act of vandalism is something I believe earnestly to be highly unacceptable in this critical time. This shameful action was utterly uncalled for and we are giving away our cause for justice to be influence by hoodlums and unnecessary violence.
Tonga College is much revered for the respectful conduct they shown towards teachers and elders but as the latest events unfold, several ex-students will be saddened yet sympathises with the unjustified removal of their leaders. It is a complicated problem that does not have a specific cause and any effort of pointing fingers here will not be helpful to both the students and the public at large.
Nau Takau's comments raised eyebrows over some of her lame accusations that the PSA and the striking servants are backing these regrettable acts of vandalism. If you consider the whole picture, I think you will be able to break through the fog of invisibility on your part to grip with the essentials of this movement. It is pathetic to say outright that no one is incapable of generating violence and stating that these actions are flaring signs of students as immature is despicable.
How can you frown on your student if they make a careless mistake or an error of judgement and say you are immature?
Let me guide you through the following points, Tonga College is highly structured with the Principal and the rest of the executive personnel, teachers and the students are at the very bottom of this scaffold. The Director of Education failed miserably to alter this established scaffold of responsibilities and putting people in places where the students do not identify themselves with and of course chaos regrettably ensues. If you deny the possibility that a student does not know what is right from what is wrong you are denying the student the right to know it for himself what it has being said.
These students…‚ need all the help we can offer, making blunt rebuke of their actions is something that will feed their anger. Your allegations of whether the PSA or the civil servants are behind these latest events are beyond speculation and it will be a good sleeping pill for you to count sheep on. Despite our differences and whichever perspectives we may view these occurrences from, I must admit that you raised a valid point for the strikers to bear in mind that every person had a God-given right to join or not to join the strike and we should all learn to respect that.
On final note, a quick reference from the Holy Scripture will give you a fair idea that righteousness is in the “Grace of the Almighty”. We are cursed with unrighteousness and we will succumb to all the consequences it will entail until the end. People desire fairness, balance and justice and to beg for righteousness is divine. Only hypocrites professed themselves as righteous people, if these students are deeply troubled (whether emotionally or whatever) let's face it we are all human beings. As a human being you are entitled to a certain threshold of tolerance and admittedly some reached high boiling point much too sooner than others which caused these unfortunate events.
To all the students who may have committed these actions, be advised that cooler heads always win the day, use your mind wisely and justice does not manifest in violence! Focus people, 60, 70, 80%. - John Rambo

Dark days ahead in the Kingdom
“Some say the glass is half empty, some say the glass is half full, I say, are you going to drink that?” - Lisa Claymen
The hooliganism of these students have tainted a sketch of the emotional state our Kingdom is in. This isolated case is accompanied by other reports of property damage in other Governmental ministries within 24 hours.
The grounds of these crimes are unwarranted and wrong. However, anyway you may see it, the fact is; things are not going to get better from here on. With relentless negotiations, petitions and no compromise, the inevitable will happen: uncontrolled fear and frustrations leading to acts of aggression or violence.
The issue of unfair wages and how the situation is being handled has tainted this Government to a very displeasing representation. The popularity poll declining as the deadlock prolongs and emotions rises socially. This has affected the students, displeased with the handling of their principal and head tutor who were relocated, which leaves a void for another new principal to vacate. The damages to Tonga College reflects the enmity amongst these students who has had a history of similar cases in the past. This immaturity gives a bad expectation of the future of our kingdom, in regards to unresolved issues.
The underlying issue still bothers a lot of civil servants as to how fast the Government can approve for RTA funding which failed and numerous economical investments which worth millions. But for a single review of wages to increase, it has to come all to this.
The percentage wage rise maybe unreasonable, however, if the Government can give $26 Million to a Jester who was a foreigner and trust him with so much money to invest. What is there to ask? From the locals who work for the KINGDOM, invest in them.
A foreigner to swindle his way to the piece of the pie, maybe the only way out for this stale mate. An impoverished Island but yet rich Kingdom. - William Mariner

Both sides are too stubborn - Tuifua Takapautolo
I am deeply saddened by the turn of events in Tonga. I supported the strikers on their quest for justice with regard to the disparity in pay rise. After reading about what happened at Tonga College and how some burnt and smashed up Govt. vehicles it is about time some kind of agreement is made between the government and the PSA.

I feel that teachers are digressing from their wage grievance to other slanderous agendas aimed at dislodging the Ministry of Education's administration (someone correct me if I am wrong). I totally agree with others who think that striking teachers are encouraging students to be disrespectful and using them to do things beyond their comprehension. Why encourage the students to do this? Parents should be more focussed and cool headed. Is this the kind of future that we want to raise? We certainly teach them at school to think for themselves but at the same time to be respectful, intelligent to know what is right and what is wrong.

Tonga is such a tiny country to be in such a situation. Both sides are stubborn to the point where they will spite their noses to hurt their faces. Are they waging a kind of waiting game to see who will drop or buckle first? Are they waiting for blood to be spilled before they strike a bargain?What kind of bargaining tools do they have? Supposedly, intelligent people should sit down and hack it out and think about the long term consequences. PSA stop preaching to us about unity and solidarity forever, an imported notion from other countries, and stick to your original agenda. One thing at a time please and get some other people who are cool, calm and collected to be your front peope. With due disrespect to your committee now, I feel there are too many hotheaded people there.

We want to see Tonga back to normal. If you are on strike, that's your choice but please leave those who are not to carry on peacefully. For those who are not on strike, don't be self-righteous. What the strikers are doing will benefit you as well. Please keep it peaceful and encourage our students to go back to school and not to be vandals. For teachers on strike don't give the students the wrong advice. You are their role models (good or bad).

I still believe in “God and Tonga are my heritage” and let us pray with out hearts, not just our mouths, that we will be delivered from this into something beneficial for everyone. - Tuifua Takapautolo

Do not blame the strikers - blame government - Finehika Vavatau, New Zealand
Nau Takau's letter is full of wasted emotions that could have been saved for teaching the rioting students of 'Atele. She makes sweeping assumptions that all strikers are evil; that they stir up dissension; and are disrespectful. What evidence has she got that the strikers are behind these acts of vandalism? Hasn't she stopped to consider that these students may be doing this of their own volition? I just hope she has the maturity to understand that not all strikers are evil and not all strikers support the recent behaviour of 'Atele students.
What Takau fails to understand is that disrespect comes in many forms. These students' teachers are out on strike because they feel that government did not give them the respect they deserved. The failure of government to respect civil servants' right to an opinion on the public service reform is one. Their (i.e. government's) attitude to the whole reform, with the salary rise included, was one of arrogance and sheer dissrespect for the very people for whom the reform is intended. Their attitude was “let's just tell them that this is the salary rise - they won't disagree.”
I'm sure they did not expect a civil service that is staffed by intelligent people who can think for themeselves, and who can get up and say “enough is enough!”, to go on strike. Did it take teachers to go out on strike for Director Takau to rush out and make the offer of 60-125% salary rise? Why wasn't this offered to them before they went on strike? I'm sure all this strike business, and the vandalsim Takau attributes to the strikers, would not have happened if there was more respect (toka'i) on the government's side.
Calling strikers evil and disrespectful is one thing. Disrespecting the fact that people are intelligent enough to make a choice for themselves is another!
Faka'apa'apa atu - Finehika Vavatau, New Zealand