A confrontation between the two political reform committees in Tonga was stalled today when Lopeti Senituli, a member of the PNCPR recalled a press statement that he circulated this morning, demanding conditions from the other committee, the NCPR.

Lopeti...’s withdrawn press release entitled "Call for Boycott of Tu'ipelehake Committee" was demanding that the NCPR make five specific changes to its membership and its working procedure or else the PNCPR would call on the people to boycott the NCPR.

A confrontation between the two reforming committees may have been stalled but a clash within the PNCPR was definitely in the making.

'Uliti Uata who was named in the withdrawn press release as the chairman of the NCPR, later denied that he had been made chairman.

"'Akilisi is still chairman and I am deputy chairman, unless, if they want me to be chairman," explained 'Uliti, who was shocked to learn that Lopeti had released a statement from a meeting of the PNCPR that was held on Monday, January 30. 'Uliti said that the release should have been approved by 'Akilisi and himself first. "It was Lopeti's proposals, but the committee agreed for us to have a dialogue with the Tu'ipelehake [of the NCPR], before we released any information to the public. We want to be able to work together with their committee."

The separate committees have similar names: People's National Committee for Political Reform (PNCPR) and the parliamentary Kingdom of Tonga National Committee for Political Reform (NCPR), which has been promised funding through Australian and New Zealand aid.

Lopeti Senituli later this afternoon circulated another e-mail, apologizing that he had "jumped the gun" in issuing the press statement. "I have been instructed by the Chairman of the People's Committee for Political Reform, 'Uliti Uata, to urgently and humbly ask all of you to embargo the information I shared with you earlier today . . ."