'We have to find our own solutions', says HRH Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata [1]
Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 11:00. Updated on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 14:20.
From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 1, May 2002.
Tongan Prime Minister, Prince ‘Ulukālala Lavaka Ata in early May commented on the reforms facing Tonga
Pesi Fonua -Government has presented its Economic and Public Sector Reform Program. Noticeably there is no Political Reform Program. Why not?
HRH Prince ‘Ulukālala Lavaka Ata -What is very important is to get the economy right. I think in your magazine, you quoted the Crown Prince saying what is the point of being democratic but being very poor [“… there is nothing more ridiculous than an impoverished democracy” Matangi Tonga Vol. 8-1]. I think we actually have democracy in Tonga, Tongan Democracy, but we can’t become like the USA or New Zealand, or any other place. We have to find our own solution. I think it is more important to get the economy going.
In the reform package, it was pointed out that one of the objectives was to reduce the reliance on aid and remittances. Is this a realistic target?
I think it is. I think we can. For example, fishing, I think we can put a lot into fishing, a lot of people can make good money out of it, and most of that is from export. A lot can be done with agriculture, the problem with agriculture is our land problem, eight acres is too small for commercial farming.
The Tongan Human Rights and Democracy Movement have publicised a draft proposal for an alternative form of government. I wonder if you had a chance to look at it?
They can come up with as many drafts as they want to but it will still not change the economy. I think it should be debated. I mean, where else in the world can people produce a false letter, and you see they are still walking around freely, and yet we are told that we are an oppressive regime, and that there is no freedom of the press.
Tonga’s Human Rights record is poor, according to a report that has been published by the USA State Department. How does government respond to such a damaging report?
We write letters to the State Department, correcting them, but, of course, it is their own report. I think part of their problem is because they do not have a representation in Tonga. Tonga’s reputation was hijacked by what happened in Fiji, because they closed down their office in Fiji. I will give you a good example. Our relationship with India diminished because the Indian High Commission was kicked out of Fiji when they had the coup there. We are just now trying to rebuild our relationship. Why should our relationship with a third party be held hostage by a fourth party? Why we should be held hostage by our neighbour? I have 600 students for whom I have to pay contributions at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, and every time there is a coup, they have to come home. What does that do to the future of our country? That is why we have to have our own university in Tonga.
With regards to democracy, in Tonga we have our own interpretation of what we believe to be democracy. How does that stand up against institutions and people with a different view? Are we becoming an opposition to them?
I don’t think they really care about what is going on in Tonga, they only care about their own people. They are not the ones who starve when there is no work here, they are not the ones who have to fight against the exchange rate. These are people, outside our country, who have no interest in our country apart from blowing their own trumpets. I think the people who are actually living in this country are the ones we should be thinking and talking about, their lives are the ones that need to be improved, they have children that need to be educated. I think that, really, politics is basically home politics.
The value of the Pa‘anga has fallen to become almost on par with the New Zealand dollar. Is that going to be the trend?
It will be the trend unless Tongans change their spending habits. They have to learn to save instead of spending every thing they have. I think many private sector companies make too much profit, super normal profit on what they charge to the man on the street. The mark-up prices are too high.
With regards to the debate on privatisation and globalisation. With privatisation, in the beginning some people were convinced that this is the way to go, but now some are saying maybe it was better with government ownership, at least they could control the mark-up margin?
And who was pushing for all this?
Seems to be an outside force?
I have said it in parliament and I will say it again, there are more forces outside the country that have influenced in our economy than the forces inside. But I would not go for privatisation just for the sake of privatisation. I think there is a very thin line one would tread and make very careful decisions, especially in small semi-closed economy like ours, (see also: Let the Tongan people decide their own future, ‘Ulukalala replies to NZ [2]).