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Tonga's caretaker government left in turmoil as PM travels overseas [1]

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Monday, September 4, 2017 - 19:18.  Updated on Monday, September 4, 2017 - 20:04.

PM Hon. Akilisi Pohiva, Deputy PM Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni and Lord Ma'afu pictured in Parliament, June 2016.

Tonga’s caretaker government is currently in turmoil as Tongans are waiting to find out who is officially the Acting Prime Minister after the Prime Minister Hon ‘Akilisi Pohiva left to attend an overseas meeting last week.

It appears that the position of an Acting Prime Minister of Tonga's "Caretaker Government" has been left vacant since the Prime Minister left on Friday, 1 August to attend the 48th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Samoa. The meeting starting today will end on 8 September. 

It is now widely accepted on the "coconut wireless" that before he left the country, the PM had written and informed King Tupou VI that he had fired the Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni, and the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Hon. Tevita Lavemaau.

Sovaleni was also the Minister for Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC).

It is also widely understood that the Prime Minister had also proposed for Lord Ma'afu, the Minister of Land, Natural Resources and His Majesty's Army to be the Acting Prime Minister, while he is away overseas.

However, as government offices closed today, 4 September, no one was willing to confirm who is currently the Acting Prime Minister of Tonga.

And no one was willing to confirm on the record that the Deputy PM and the Minister for MEIDECC, along with the Minister of Finance and National Planning, had been officially dismissed from their ministerial positions.

The PM is in Samoa with the Minister of Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries, Hon. Semisi Fakahau; the Minister for Infrastructure and Tourism, Hon. Semisi Sika; the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet, Dr. Palenitina Langa’oi Tiueti; the CEO for MEIDECC, Paula Ma’u; and senior government officials.

Finance

It appears that there are some financial issues involved in a reshuffling of cabinet, considering that only six months ago the previous Minister of Finance 'Aisake Eke, who drafted the national budget, was forced to resign.

He was replaced as Minister of Finance by Tevita Lavemaau in Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s reshuffled cabinet [2] on March 9.

Under the current situation of a caretaker government, any unusual or unnecessary expenditure must be approved by the Minister of Finance.

No names have been forthcoming to replace Tevita Lavemaau.

PM Hon. 'Akilisi Pohiva with Hon. Tevita Lavemaau on Friday September 1. Photo: Peter Poulsen.
Tonga [3]
Prime Minister Hon 'Akilisi Pohiva [4]
caretaker government [5]
Tongan Government [6]
Government [7]

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Source URL:https://matangitonga.to/2017/09/04/tongas-caretaker-government-left-turmoil-pm-travels-overseas

Links
[1] https://matangitonga.to/2017/09/04/tongas-caretaker-government-left-turmoil-pm-travels-overseas [2] https://matangitonga.to/2017/03/09/king-tupou-vi-approves-tonga-s-new-cabinet [3] https://matangitonga.to/tag/tonga?page=1 [4] https://matangitonga.to/tag/prime-minister-hon-akilisi-pohiva?page=1 [5] https://matangitonga.to/tag/caretaker-government?page=1 [6] https://matangitonga.to/tag/tongan-government?page=1 [7] https://matangitonga.to/topic/government?page=1