Commission pessimistic over ability of Assembly to meet 2010 election deadline
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 22:16
The eagerly awaited final report of Tonga's Constitutional and Electoral Commission released this week, contains some 80 recommendations on how to structure a new system of government for Tonga. While there are no surprises, the Commission does voice a concern over an apparent lack of understanding of its aims and the actual contents of its reports by some of the members of the House, who will be trusted with making the final decision on the new structure. By Pesi Fonua
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The Commission recommends no
The Commission recommends no change - Senolita Swan:
Having read The Constitutional and Electoral Commission Final Report released this week, I am sorry to say that I am somewhat dismayed and disappointed because the Commission recommendations do not go far enough to make any difference to political life in Tonga.
One of the recommendations baffles me. The Commission feels that it is right to recommend that the Assembly should have 26 members, of which 9 will be chosen by a few nobles amongst themselves and 17 representatives will be elected by the rest of the Tonga electorate. Well, no change there then, or perhaps I should say that the people of Tonga will end up worse off. The Commission has recommended reducing the number of Cabinet members to 10 so that the executive members will not end up being the majority in the House. With due respect, it appears that the Commission has completely forgotten that the 9 seats of the nobles will always be seen as part of the executive always. I put it to the Commission that with this formula as it stands, the ordinary people of Tonga will be under-represented in the next parliament. Surely, this cant be right! If The Commission wants us to take its recommendations seriously, I suggest that it is not too late for it to recommend 26 seats in Tongan Assembly, all of which will be elected by the Tongan electorate as a whole, commoners and nobles alike.
Although I am a woman myself, I must admit that I am not particularly keen on Tonga implementing CEDAW, for very simple reasons CEDAW is so demanding, rigid and non-flexible and it appears to have been written purely from a Western point of view, possibly by men! Sorry. In that respect, I dont agree with the idea of allocating seats in the Assembly just for women. We women already have the right to run for parliament if we wish to do so. But in order to have first class politicians in the Assembly, I advocate the idea of competition and merit. I am certain that there are well qualified women politicians in Tonga and I encourage those women to come forward and run for parliament in the next election. But let them compete for the seats in the Assembly just like everyone else. Gaining position through merit is rather satisfying and far more rewarding.
Please, may I ask The Commission to look again at their report? The recommendations as they stand will not make the slightest difference to how Tonga will be governed in the future. The vast majority of the Tongan people at home will continue to be ignorant of politics and the privileged few will continue to lord it over them for years to come. Tonga is desperate for political change and the common folks were and still are hoping to achieve this change by civilised and non-violent means. What the Report has recommended falls far short of what Tonga needs right now and I am afraid that if we miss this opportunity, we miss it big time. - ‘Ofa atu Senolita Swan
King George Tupou V's
King George Tupou V's historical move - Sefita A Hao’uli:
Commendation to the Constitution and Electoral Commission members again for another milestone achievement by meeting the deadline and once again producing a quality document that is clear and concise. Here’s hoping that the considered views and thoughts of a group of skilled and experienced individuals will prevail over the prejudiced and tainted opinions of vested individuals.
We are indeed fortunate to witness the new pages of our history being written. The hard-won gains would all be for nothing if we do not acknowledge that the CEC recommendations are seeking concessions to be made that has never been asked of the system since its inception and this is done not only in the name of democracy but in the best interests of all.
Whereas the declaration by George I at Pouono remains iconic, George V’s willingness to come this far in his time on the throne may prove historically to be more significant. What we will do over the next twelve months or so will determine whether our generation is deserving of this or not. - Sefita A Hao’uli, Auckland, New Zealand.