Editor,
I know that this is not the time to point finger and ask who is responsible for inspecting this vessel (Princess Ashika) before allowing it to service my people? To that person and to that department who allows for this vessel to operate in the Kingdom of Tonga are fully responsible for this tragedy.
According to Viliami Latu Mohenoa's report the boat was taking water before she flip over to her final destination.
Hmmm one can only assume the boat was already damage before she came to operations. How often are we the people in general of Tonga will keep knowingly doing things that will expose how behind we are from the rest of the world? I don't think whoever is responsible according to my accusations knows regardless of our government standard of inspections of all boats and ships operating within our water will allow other Country's to step up and demand hast standard of regulations of boats, ships own and operate in Tonga which I think it's for the benefit of our people although ship owners and common boat owner may not be ready for the extra fees and its costs.
I don't think they may have consider the risk of allowing a ferry which was built to operate only on smooth and unrugged water from my perceptions to operate in our water which is well known among sailors to have some of the roughest water in the region.
This incidence could have been avoided had the responsible person who inspected and allow the ship for operations in Tonga did his/her best in behalf of the people of Tonga and fulfill his/her duty. Therefore I call for a full investigations and to prosecute the people responsible for this tragedy as a lesson for all government personnel to be honest and be responsible to their duty which is profoundly expose us all as Tongans.
We must elevates our self to be in the same level of understanding and use our common sense to where the rest of the worlds are at. The cost and the reasons why we do things knowingly that it is wrong has been abused enough by our people for too long. If we are to be the people who worship and praise the Gods of the Old and the New Testament than we should act like how he taught us all. Ignorance is a form of Hypocrisy.
Concern Tongan
PK
peiholani [at] gmail [dot] com
