By Pesi Fonua

Tonga's Prime Minister surprised a local press conference last week by leaking a document that he said was a "confidential" Cabinet decision relating to funds allocated for the opening celebration of the new St. George Government Building on September 1.

After calling the press conference at the Fa’onelua Centre on 19 September, the PM produced a document and made it clear that what he was about to reveal was confidential government business.

"A Cabinet Decision is confidential, and is not allowed to be distributed to the public," he said, before adding “but if you want to have a look at it, it is here. If you really want to take it, it is your choice.”

Then he read out the document himself, which he said was submitted to Cabinet on 30 August. It related to funding allocations for a cultural presentation during the opening celebration of St George Government Building, in the Nuku'alofa CBD.

The Prime Minister said that funds had been allocated for things such as mats, bread and for the King. He told the press conference, “My belief, it would not make any difference how much money we give His Majesty, that money would not in any way help with the development of this country.”

PM Pohiva claimed that nine of the 12 cabinet ministers had signed their rejection of the itemized funding allocations, while three, including himself, did not to sign the document.

He admitted, however, that the $22,000 that was allocated for the opening ceremony had been earlier approved by cabinet as a lump sum. Then the PM said the document with the itemised breakdown was what the nine ministers later disagreed with.

The PM said he was amazed that the Minister of Finance who submitted the funding allocations, was among the nine who rejected it.

According to the PM, after the nine ministers disagreed with the items, the money was released anyway from the Ministry of Finance for the opening.

The PM gave no clear answer as to why he dismissed the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, immediately after the opening of the building.

The $22,000 that was allocated for the opening celebration of St George Government Building was the responsibility of a committee, chaired by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni.

Dissolution of Parliament

The September 19 press conference was called 26 days after the dissolution of parliament by King Tupou VI.

The PM said that he wanted to give a brief response from himself and his Cabinet on His Majesty’s decision to dissolve parliament.

He said that the first time he heard of the dissolution of Parliament was after he returned to his office from a Cabinet meeting on 29 August. Somebody rang and asked if it was true that parliament has been dissolved. He said he told the caller that he had not received any information about the dissolution of Parliament.

He then called the Attorney General, who told him that he knew about it when he was given information to be Gazetted on Friday 25 August.

The PM said he was puzzled with what had been going on, so on the following day, Saturday, he called the Lord Chamberlain, Viela Tupou.  She told him "...PM, we are still working on it and will inform you once we are ready.”

“At 5pm on Saturday, I heard from Viela, that Parliament had been dissolved, excluding the Cabinet. ...I felt better.”

So, the fact that the King did not dissolve the Cabinet made the PM feel better – and, basically, that was his response to the King’s dissolution of the Tongan Parliament.