By Pesi Fonua

At first it was going to be December 5th, then it was the 6th, then it was the 7th, but now tomorrow, December 8 is to be the day when at 2pm 'Akilisi Pohiva and members of the National Committee for Political Reform will present their booklet, with proposed amendments to the Tongan Constitution and other acts, to the Private Secretary of the King at the Palace Office.

The presentation of this booklet was publicized as the big day for the Reform Movement.

The 60-pages booklet is significant, in a sense, because it merges the ideas in three models of government that have been floating around during the past months - pushed by Lopeti Senituli, Laki Niu and Clive Edwards, each with their own proposed amendments to the constitution and legislation.

The booklet is a sign that there is some unity among what has been regarded as a fragmented Reform Movement.

Withdrawn group from Pangai Si'i

Laki Niu who presented an ultimatum to Cabinet in mid-October, stating that he and his group would not leave Pangai Si'i until they all signed a letter in support of his proposal for Constitutional change. But yesterday, December 6, Laki said that he had withdrawn his demand after he was contacted by the Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Cecil Cocker and told to withdraw his group from Pangai Si'i and in return Cabinet would consider his proposal. Laki said he withdrew his group but also gave his support to the National Committee for Political Reform.

The booklet gives a brief background to the movement to amend the Tongan Constitution, but fundamentally the booklet details changes that should be made to the Constitution, the Government Act, the Legislative Assembly Act, the Electoral Act and the Interpretation Act.

According to 'Akilisi Pohiva, the National Committee has 51 members, and the executives include the Chairman, 'Akilisi Pohiva; Vice Chairman, 'Uliti Uata; Secretary, Lu'isa Kefu, and the Assistant Secretary Mele 'Amanaki.

Two committees

There are now two National Committees for Political Reform, and because they bear the same name we can identify them for this article by calling the first one to be established the A team and the second to be established a B team. Both teams share some of the same members.

The A team is Tu'ipelehake's National Committee for Political Reform, approved by parliament in 2004, and which last week has finally confirmed the members of the committee. The Chairman is HRH Prince Tu'ipelehake, Deputy Chairman, 'Akilisi Pohiva; government representative Hon. S. Tu'a Taumoepeau Tupou; and the People's Representative, Clive Edwards. The five public figures that the committee has appointed to join it are, Dr Langi Kavaliku, Dr 'Ana Taufe'ulungaki, Dr Sitiveni Halapua, Taniela Tufui and 'Aisea Taumoepeau.

The fundamental difference between the two committees is that while the A team has not formulated any new model of government or amendments, the B team has already got theirs drawn up, and what is left is finding the support of the people.

The approach of the A team, according to the Chairman, Prince Tu'ipelehake, is that they would like to gather the inspiration of the people first before they formulate a model of government and proposed amendment to the constitution and legislation.

Overlap

Meanwhile, 'Akilisi Pohiva and Clive Edwards are actually members of both committees.

Clive Edwards did not think there was anything wrong with it. He said that there was an urgency for a reform to take place and if things were left for the parliamentary national committee, it could end up like most things that have been left for government to action, "forgotten".

His logic is that if two committees are running and the parliamentary committee is not very active, then the other committee can still push along with the reforms.