From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 15, no. 1, March 2000.

The outcome of the King’s first visit to China in 1997 and the termination of the Taiwanese presence in Tonga, was the resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He was not the only Minister opposed to the Beijing move. When the King returned from China Baron Vaea handed the King the resignation of Crown Prince Tupouto‘a, along with his own resignation as Prime Minister of Tonga. This was Baron Vaea’s third resignation in seven years.

Baron Vaea first applied to retire from Cabinet in early 1991 while he was the Minister for Labour, Commerce and Industries. But instead of accepting his application, the King in Privy Council then appointed Baron Vaea as Prime Minister, to succeed the ailing Prince Fatafehi Tu’ipelehake. The top post in

Tongan government had been on shaky ground for years during the long illness of the Prince. Baron Vaea said the decision came when a medical report finally confirmed that the King’s brother could no longer continue as Prime Minister.

In 1996 Baron Vaea filed another application for retirement, which was accepted by the King in 1997, but he was told that a date for his retirement was to be announced later.

Baron Vaea reveals in this interview with Matangi Tonga that later in 1997 after the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Crown Prince Tupouto‘a handed him his application for retirement, he again decided to ask for his own release. Baron Vaea personally handed over both letters to the King at the airport.

Baron Vaea said that although the Privy Council subsequently accepted their applications for retirement the dates were to be announced later. The delay was not acceptable to the Crown Prince who complained that nothing would get done, and that one would simply sit around waiting for the retirement date to be announced. So the Crown Prince was allowed to retire on May 4, 1998—while Baron Vaea continued to wait for his own release from what had been a long and distinguished career in the public service.

Then on December 3, 1999, nearly nine years after he had first applied for retirement he was granted his wish. Baron Vaea said he was at home on leave wondering who was going to be acting Prime Minister while he was away, when he was informed that the King had decided to appoint his youngest son, Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, as the new Prime Minister.