Editor's Comment, by Pesi Fonua

Events in Tonga over the past few weeks, have left vacuums in our midst and are reshaping the entities that had the power to influence our lives, our way of thinking, and our style of government. 

The deaths of two young nobles in quick succession, and the disgrace of one and the appearance of another in the criminal courts have brought their changing roles in the community into sharper focus.

Traditionally, Tongans have regarded the nobles of the realm as landlords and the power brokers of political decisions that affect our lives. They have direct access to the apex of the system, the king, and their nine votes in the Legislative Assembly can either pass or reject any decisions that parliament makes.

A bribery conviction meted out by a jury to an older noble, the Speaker of the House, followed by a rape charge against another noble, who had been an acting Speaker of the House, showed that ordinary Tongans are no longer willing to put up with the illegal behaviours of their landlords and political power brokers in parliament.

While that may be seen as a sign of maturity in the evolution of the Tongan society with its 131-year-old Constitutional Monarchy form of government, it has also proven the foresight of our law makers, and strengthened faith in the administration of justice in a country where all Tongans are supposed to be equal under a system of law that has its roots in British justice. 

But as the respect for nobles diminishes, and the community waits for young heirs to come of age, who will replace the nobles as trustworthy mentors of the people? Candidates who come to mind are church leaders and nobles' matapules who still live very closely with the people in the villages.

British influence

The other major event that is taking place and will have an impact on the Tongan psych is the closure of the British High Commission in Tonga. 

During the past 105 years the British presence on the Nuku'alofa waterfront has been a bastion of whatever was regarded as British and Western, and their influence on our lives is deeply rooted, in our religion, education, language, form of government, laws, sports, social structure, and style of royalty - so much so that we have come to call some of these things our own.

During the past 200 years Tonga has been looking westward, and we are proud to say that we have not only a Tongan but also a Western perspective of the world. 

But in the midst of these changing times Tonga today is looking eastward. The government's new foreign policy, dubbed the "Look East Policy", looks not to Japan but rather to China - a dramatic switch from a democratic, christian West, to a communist, atheistic East. Tonga has since established a diplomatic mission in Beijing, and China supported its move to join the UN. It is therefore significant that Tonga recently did not vote for Japan to become a member of the UN Security Council.

The process of change will unfold itself during the coming years, but if British missionaries made the initial impact on Tonga for the British Empire, by converting Tupou I, then like the British the Chinese are aware that if they can convert the king, then perhaps they can easily have the minds and the hearts of the rest of the country. 

This is not a religious conversion in process but rather the buying of closer ties by a system that is giving its foreign aid directly to people of influence.

There are signs that they have already converted the rising apex of Tongan royals, Crown Prince Tupouto'a, Princess Pilolevu, and Prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata. There is no doubt that China intends to fill the vacuum that has been left by the British, but only time will tell whether or not they are able to win the favour of the rest of the population.