Tonga observes Constitution Day with public holiday [1]
Wednesday, November 8, 2017 - 21:44
Tonga observed Constitution Day with a holiday on Monday 6 November, this year marking the 142nd anniversary of Tonga's Constitution, which was was first enacted by HM King Tupou I on November 4, 1875.
The landmark Constitution consists of 115 clauses in three parts; the “Declaration of Rights”, “Form of Government” and “The Land”.
The most celebrated laws of the Constitution are the land clauses forbidding the sale of land to foreigners and requiring that land could only be granted to Tongan citizens. Popular fork lore has it that King Tupou I was motivated to formulate the Constitution after visiting New Zealand and Australia where he witnessed beggars and was told that they were unable to work because they did not own any land.
The United States Department of State released a statement on 4 November, congratulating the Kingdom on the anniversary of its Constitution.