In a New Year's pep talk Tonga's Prime Minister told the civil service that Government reform is on the cards in 2019, even though some returning scholars do not want to implement reforms. The PM promised there would be in-house training to address what he believed was "a mindset problem”. He also urged the well-educated, unmarried women in his office to look for husbands.

Civil servants and government workers returned to work this week after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office today said that the PM Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva hosted a meeting and a prayer service with his staff, yesterday January 7.

“I look forward to working together with all of you to implement the Government’s plans for reform in 2019,” he said, and explained there would be training to make it happen.

“The government had spent money on scholarships to send you overseas for tertiary education so you could come home and carry out the work of Government,” he told them.

“But I have found that some returning scholars are not prepared to carry out the reforms that had been set in place. For me it’s a ‘mindset’ problem and I am glad that the Public Service Commission is addressing this problem through in-house training for civil servants.”

After the meeting, the PM again spoke to his staff at a morning tea where he asked them not to believe rumours on social media that the Prime Minister was trying to undermine or revoke His Majesty’s Royal Prerogatives.

The PM also noticed there were a lot of single women working in his office. “I have come to realize that there are a lot of well-educated but unmarried women in senior positions in the Prime Minister’s Office, PSC and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. I urge you all, please look for a husband in 2019 as a matter of priority!”.

The statement also mentioned that Mr Sinilau Kolokihakaufisi, as a Commissioner of the Public Service Commission, gave a welcoming speech to staff. Mr Kolokihakaufisi was Police Commander at the time of the 2006 riots.