From the House by Pesi Fonua

The Tongan Parliament resumed its 2018 session today, 18 September, after what the Deputy Speaker, Lord Tu’ilakepa, described as the House’s “longest break ever”.

The last session of the Tongan parliament was on 26 June, an emergency session to rescue Tonga’s 218-19 National Budget that, by an oversight, was destined to end on 30 June 2018, instead of 30 June 2019. (The erroneous date was passed in the Budget on June 20 with votes of 20-0.)

The highlights of today’s session included a push by the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva and the Minister of Justice, Hon. Vuna Fa’otusia, to pass five Bills that Cabinet considered to be urgent. The House needed to pass the bills so that they could be resubmitted to Privy Council.

Hon. Vuna Fa’otusia told the House that most of these bills were tabled into parliament by the Cabinet of Lord Tu’ivakano, in 2014.

However the Privy Council returned the Bills to Cabinet.

Not specific

Hon. Vuna Fa’otusia tended to think that there was no need for the House to spend time in debating over the Bills, because the Privy Council was not specific on why they returned the Bills, so he thought that the House should pass them so that they can table them again into Privy Council.

The Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva in support of the Minister of Justice reminded the Speaker that they have a majority in the House, and once he called for votes that was the end of the story. For the House to spend hours debating over them would be just a waste of time.

Lord Nuku, pointed out that having the majority in the House was not the priority of the House. It was most important for members to debate over the Bills so that the people may have a better understanding of the bills.

Working procedure

The Vava’u People’s Representative no. 17 Samiu Vaipulu, the Vava’u Nobles Representative no.1 Lord Tu’i’afitu, and the Niua Nobles’ Representative Lord Fusitu’a, were all in favour for the House to follow its proper working procedure: for the Cabinet to present the Bills to the House, the House to debate over them, and if passed - then they go to Privy Council.

After Afternoon tea at 3:00pm the Legislature dissolved into the Whole House Committee, and the Chairman Hon. Light of Day Taka, read a verse from the Bible to guide the debate, then they started on Bill No. 10 of 2018, to amend the Tongan Constitution.

Hon. Vuna Fa’otusia stressed that the Bill guaranteed the Ombudsman his constitutional right, and that the Ombudsman was where people could lodge complaints about civil services.

After that there was an uproar in the House over the issue with regards to the independence of the Ombudsman and that of the Auditor General, but then the Deputy Speaker reminded members that it was 4pm and he called for the House to close for the day.

The role of the Auditor General became an issue, because it was raised during the debate that the House had received an Auditor General's report to the House, relating to a petition to impeach seven Cabinet Ministers including the Prime Minister Hon ‘Akilisi Pohiva, that was submitted to the King and Parliament on May 25.