Can China replace the British influence in our lives?

China's Influence in Tonga - William Mariner:
Anything can happen now, with the increase corruption and our controversial Government we have in power today. The nobles and Royals are not putting the average Tongans as Tonga’s best interest but their own. It showed with the Speaker of the House trying to illegally import alcohol for his own gain, it was not like the ex-Speaker of the House who was on the minimum wage. To be more ironic, is that the former Veikune was probably present once the Laws or Legislation was passed in the House about Custom Duty Laws. It comes down to GREED and this Government (NOBLES and ROYALS) have embraced this evil.

China’s influence
China is known in the world with it’s shocking political record of violation of human rights with numerous stories of controversies like with Tibet. It is also known, economically, as the new frontier industry of cheap labor for big corporations in developed countries. The flip side of the coin, it is also known to be the leading runner in counterfeit or fake commercial goods.

These characteristics are coming common in society today in Tonga, numerous findings in the media about counterfeit money and commercial goods have been found in Tonga. It doesn’t have to be a CSI detective to know counterfeit commercial goods are sold in Chinese stores for profit.

Government'’s Raw Deal
Today, the Nobles and Royals who are the Majority in the Government that passes Laws and Legislation has put their own interest’s other than Tonga as a whole. They would deal with the Devil just to make a dollar, disregard of any morality but at least they get se.

Their interests in the past has lead this country to economical turmoil, who is to blame with Tonga’s economical status today, the people? When the MAJORITY of the Government has outnumbered the people’s representatives? You do the figures and it all adds to only one system that has failed for severals years now, the Royals and Nobles. So, I am not surprised with your editorial about China’s influence in Tonga, it is not the matter of when it will begin but a matter of how much Tonga is going to lose. - William Mariner

‘Ofa ‘i he kau Siaina - Siosaia Moimoiangaha:
Na’e fai e ‘a’ahi atu ki hotau ki’i fonua ki he pekia ‘a e taha ‘o e ngaahi ‘ofa’anga pea ne lava ia. Ne lava ‘o ma’u mo e faingamalie ke ‘a’ahi holo ‘i he ngaahi pola faikava pea fai ai mo e pootalanoa mo e kau tangata’eiki pea pehe ki he kau talavou. Ko e me’a fakafiefia ko e fanongo ‘oku ‘ofa ‘a e tangata Tonga ‘i honau tupu’anga mo honau founga.
Na’e ‘i ai foki mo ha ngaahi talanoa hua na’e vahevahe ‘i he ngaahi fakataha’anga pea na’a ku fu’u ‘ohovale he na’e ‘ikai ke u ‘ilo’i ‘oku ‘i hotau ki’i fonua lotu ‘a e fa’ahinga taaufe’hi’a pehe. Na’e talanoa fakaoli ‘aki ‘a hono fakalavea’i ‘o e kau Siaina pe mo hono fakamamafa’i ‘a e ‘ikai tali ‘o e kakai ko ‘eni ‘i hotau ki’i fonua lotu ne tuku ki Langi.
Na’e ‘ikai foki ke u toe ta’ofi ka na’aku talanoa leva ki he mahu’inga ‘oe ‘ofa ki he fa’ahinga kakai ko ‘eni. Na’aku fakamanatu foki ki he kaunga tangata na’a mau faikava na’e ‘ikai ha’u ta’e fakalao si’i ngaahi famili Siaina ko ‘eni ki Tonga. ‘Oku totonu foki ke mahino ki he tangata Tonga ko e matu’a Siaina ‘oku ngaue ‘i Tonga ‘oku nau nofo mo lisi mei he ngaahi ‘api ‘o e kakai Tonga. Ko e fakafuofua ‘o e matu’a Siaina nofo Tonga ‘oku ikai ma’u ha 1/4 ‘oe kakai Tonga kuo nau movete holo he ngaahi fonua muli. Kuo lahi mo e ngaahi tokoni kuo tanupou ‘aki e ngaahi ‘apiako mo e ngaahi ‘api nofo’anga mei he kakai Siaina’.

Ko e palopalema ‘oku fai ki ai ‘a e felafoaki mo e talanoa ‘o e ngaahi ‘aho ni ki he kau Siaina, ‘oku lolotonga fihia ai ‘a e tangata Tonga ‘oku fokoutua he ngaahi fonua muli. Ko e meimei 99.9% ‘o e kakai Tonga kuo nau nofo muli na’e kamata ‘enau nofo fonua ‘aki e ngaahi founga hala. Ko e tokolahi na’e folau ko e ako pea ‘ikai toe foki mai ka e hola holo ai pe ‘o feinga ‘o nofo fonua, ko e fa’ahinga ne folau ko e ngaue fakafaifekau, folau ‘eve’eva, folau ki ha putu, pe folau mo ha kulupu kumi pa’anga ma’ae ngaahi ‘Apiako mo Siasi, kau ngaue fakapule’anga folau maloloo, ngaahi kulupu ‘akapulu pea ‘ikai toe fai ha foki ki Tonga kae hola holo ai pe ‘o feinga nofo fonua.

‘Oku pehe tokua ‘i he fakamatala fakata’u ‘a e pule’anga ‘oku ‘i he meimei 200 miliona he ta’u e tokoni mei he kakai ko ‘eni ‘oku ou lave atu ki ai. ‘Oku totonu ke tau ‘ofa he kau Siaina pea ako ‘enau founga he ‘oku nau ngaue pea mo’ui feinga ‘o hange pe ko kimautolu ‘oku fokoutua he ngaahi fonua muli. Kuo fu’u lahi hono fakatanga’i si’i kakai ni kae sio kehe pe e kau takimu’a ‘e ni’ihi ka tetau pehe ko fe leva e lotu ‘oku tau tu’uaki he ‘aho ki he ‘aho.

‘Oku ou kole fakamolemole atu kapau ‘e uesia ha taha ‘i he lave nounou ‘oku ou talanoa atu ki ai ka ‘oku totonu ke tau toe fakakaukau pea manatu ki he kuohili si’i kuo maliu atu. ‘Oku lolotonga faingata’a’ia ‘a e ngaahi vahe ‘i ‘Amelika ‘i he maumau ‘oku fai ‘e he fanau Tonga na’e kamata ‘a e nofo fonua muli ‘i he founga hala. ‘Oku ou faka’amu pe te tau toe vakai ki he founga ‘oku tau teke’i holo ai si’i matu’a Siaina nofo Tonga pea fehu’i kapau ‘e pehe’i hotau kainga Tonga ‘oku hola holo ‘i Nu’usila mo ‘Aositelelia pea mo ‘Amelika, ko e ha ‘etau ongo’i?. ‘Oku totonu foki ke tau ‘ofa ki hotau kaunga’api ‘o hange ko ‘etau ‘ofa kia kitautolu.

We must ask ourselves questions such as: Why is there so much suffering and hatred in Tonga? Does God exist? What does He think of me? We eventually come to the conclusion that we do not know all the answers and that surely there must be someone who can see more clearly. If we realize that someone is Jesus Christ, we are likely to become more humble and teachable and to desire, like Abraham, ‘to be a greater follower of righteousness.”

Ko e taimi pe ‘oku ‘alu hake ‘a e taaufehi’a ki he matu’a Siaina, ki’i fakakaukau si’i ki si’i matu’a Tonga nofo ta’efakalao ‘i muli ka ‘oku nau tauhi honau famili ‘i Tonga mei he melie ‘o e fonua ‘oku nofo ta’e fakalao ai. - Siosaia Moimoiangaha

Chinese in Tonga - William Mariner:
Unconstitutional Immigrants

Firstly, I would want to point out that the influx of Chinese into Tonga was initially unconstitutional and unjust. The Government in the past had put a blanket on this issue of selling Tongan passports to Foreigners. The Tongan people did not know, that our Government was selling passports and for several years has denied involvement of issuing Tongan Passports to Foreigners. If it wasn…’t for a persistent people representative of parliament from Tongatapu applying pressure towards the Government about this issue, we would of never have known. While people in Asia had advertisements on billboards and newspapers, showing Tongan passports was For Sale. To this day, the Government has not given an estimate of how much Revenue that was produced from this secrecy.

You do not see USA, UK, AUST, and NZ, CANADA and other developed countries putting out a secret advertisement to sell Passports to Foreigners without any immigration background checks or balances. Therefore, any sort of persons with the money can afford a Tongan Passport and can enter into Tongan regardless of any criminal history or political issue. It was known that Philippines dictator Ferdinand Edralin Marcos possessed a Tongan passport during his unstable reign and before fleeing to Hawaii in exile.

Secondly, the majority of the Chinese that has moved into Tonga are not a threat to Tonga'’s social security system (which Tonga doesn't have!) because before they moved, they have already have financial backing to start off with. The monopoly of these Chinese stores has rapidly wiped out local competition. You may say, at least we get cheaper goods from the Chinese shops, but when you look at it in a more closely, with consumer rights, Tonga loses out.

Buyer Beware

The Chinese shops have cheaper commercial goods but all written in their language. This violates some developed countries Trading Acts, to fully inform the customer of what is in a product and the consumer would know what s/he is consuming. Therefore, every Tongan consumer takes a gamble sometimes with their lives when buying these cheaper goods. So, next time when you decide for a cheaper product like individual non-informative packages of ice blocks, cigarettes, Panadol and other products that you cannot read, think twice.

Who knows what you are consuming or putting on your body from a Chinese product that you can…’t read the instructions or know what chemicals are put in these commercial goods? English is the universal language accepted throughout most countries, does the education system of Tonga need to implement into Tongan schools Mandarin or Cantonese lessons in order to understand fully what they are eating or applying on their skin from these Chinese stores?

Illegal poor Quality commercial goods

Thirdly, the practices of these Chinese Businesses sometimes are run illegally. Selling counterfeit spirits or tobacco, fake American brand label goods, cheap goods with inappropriate labeling and instructions and the list goes on.

Therefore, Tongan consumers are getting poor quality service for what they consider cheap, when it should not be sold on the shelf at all. Mainland China is well known for the home of Piracy copies or copyrights violations Heaven. Tonga seems to be showing signs of the activity of the Chinese that is well known in developed countries like America, who is fighting against piracy copies of DVDs and CDs. Matangi Tonga has picked on the news with counterfeit money and cigarettes found in Tonga.

The increase violations of trading in Tonga can only be consistent with the monopolized market of commercial goods in our island, and that is NOT Tongans. You connect the dots and find where it leads.

Either way you see it, it comes down to the Government for allowing slack immigration rules and fast to open to economical markets, but the only people gaining from this are non-Tongans or to be more appropriate indigenous people of Tonga. - William Mariner