Sovereignty not a bargaining chip

Ko e taha 'o e ngaahi palopalema faingata'a lahi taha 'emau nofo 'i 'Amelika ni, ko e 'eke'i 'e he'emau fanau 'enau totonu 'sovereignty' lolotonga koia 'oku 'ikai ke nau lava 'o tauhi kinautolu. 'Oku ako'i 'eni 'i he ngaahi 'apiako koe'uhi ke ta'ofi 'a hono 'abuse' 'o e fanau. Koe'uhi 'oku fa'a ngaue hala 'aki 'ehe fanau 'a 'enau totonu ko'eni, pea 'oku fa'a iku ai 'a e tamai mo e fa'e 'ofa 'e ni'ihi 'o hu pilisone. 'Oku hoko heni 'o li'aki 'aupito 'ehe tamai mo e fa'e 'a e fanau 'e ni'ihi koe'uhi he 'oku 'ikai lava ke fai hona fatongia fakatamai/fa'e. 'Oku ngali pe 'a e palopalema ko'eni mo e fanau he 'oku te'eki ke kakato fa'u honau 'atamai. Ne u 'ohovale hono ngaue'aki 'e he kau taki 'o Tonga 'a e fo'i lea ni ki NZ 'Tonga is a sovereignty country'. 'Oku 'ikai hala, ka 'oku tatau pe mo e pehe atu 'who care' ki he ngaahi tokoni 'a NZ. Tonu ke tuku pe 'a e 'grant' tokoni ia 'a NZ na'a 'ai ia 'o totongi 'aki no ki Siaina kae tuku e folau'eve'eva ia. SAIA

Although this is a very sensitive issue for Tonga, its Minister that's responsible for Civil Aviation Mr. Vaipulu . . . He must not forget the tragedy not too long ago when another Government Minister did exactly the same thing in allowing an old rust bucket to be used in Tonga which we all know the consequences. We must ask ourselves who are really our friends when it comes to our most demanding issues like topping up the budget so the public servant can get paid. Of course China will help but in the form of loans that it will take generations to repay. I don't for one moment blame Murray McCully for his decision. And good on him as he has a responsibility for the NZ tax payers (which I am part of it for decades) Mr.Vaipulu on the other hand should be responsible for the people of Tonga and their welfare.The way I see it, the Government of Tonga does not give a . . . what would be the consequences.

Safety First
This should be the main priority, it does not matter whom gifted the aircraft, this is irrelevant. As long as the plane can meet international aviation standards. It is a concern that the Minister states that his department will certify the aircraft. Get it certified to international standards and this solves all the problems.

Failed due diligence
It appears to me that with this Chinese aircraft, the Government of Tonga has again failed due diligence in its procurement system. But I'll be wasting your time with any additional input. Pesi, bless his heart, is still in another world thinking that the leaders of Tonga had the people's best interest in mind when they made this decision. There have been too many accounts to the contrary. Let me see, we the people, burned Nuku'alofa to expedite a political change… then we elected our representatives to the Parliament, who cemented their position by installing a system that makes them Ministers and Premier without our vote, and they have set up a system of government with very little to no checks and balances to their power, and thus their decision… We, the people, must realize we made a mistake… and it will be up to us to remedy those mistakes. - Mafi 'o Amerika Samoa