From the House by Pesi Fonua

The Tongan Parliament closed early on Monday March 11, amid requests for parliament to extend its proceedings for seven or eight days.

It was apparent  there was an urgent matter that government wanted the House to address.

The Acting Speaker, Lord Tu'ilakepa, however, after the tea break in the afternoon called for the House to close for the day becasue the Speaker Lord Fakafanua was due to return on Tuesday and he could decide on any extension of the session.

Uncertain priorities

Nearly a month after the Tongan Parliament began its 2019 session on 18 February, members are still not sure what is most urgent matter for the House to deal with before its scheduled closure on 18 March.

Since 18 February, the House has passed one urgent Bill, the Foreign Investment Bill 2019.

Then six other Bills were tabled, labelled by the PM as urgent, before he later withdrew them. According to the Acting Speaker, Lord Tu'ilakepa those Bills were no longer consider to be urgent.

However, before the House closed yesterday, People's Representative Veivosa Llght-of-Day Taka moved for the House to extend the proceedings of the House, from the 14^th to 27^th March. He gave no clear reason for the extension, other than possibly to enable government to complete its radio programme and a radio talk-back-show explaining to the public the six Bills. The Prime Minister explained that they were conducting a “public consultation”.

Lord Fusitu'a disagreed that a radio talk-back-show is a public consultation. He insisted that a public consultation is a dialogue between Members of Parliament and the people.

The Acting Speaker, Lord Tu'ilakepa reminded the House that a Motion had been seconded for government to carry out its own consultation with the public over the six Bills that they had tabled into parliament. He called for votes on the Motion and it was passed 14-8.

Extension

The Minister of Police Hon. Mateni Tapueluelu then requested Parliament on the behalf of government for the House to extend its proceedings from14 March to 28 March.

Lord Tu'iha'angana reminded the House that HM King Tupou VI would officially open the 2019-20 Parliamentary Session on 28 May.

It was clear that the six urgent Bills, tabled into the House and later withdrawn by government, would be reintroduced again and possibly urgent, and that was why the House would extend its proceedings until 28 March.

Prison overcrowding

An urgent issue that was raised by Tevita Lavemaau, the People's Representative for 'Eua, for government to fix the prison on the island, where prisoners from Tongatapu were moved there because of overcrowding. He said most of these prisoners were drug ofenders, and were growing marijuana in Eua.

The Minister of Police, Hon. Mateni Tapueluelu, agreed with Tevita. He stressed that the situation was so bad that the jailers and their families lived together with the prisoners. However, he said that they have funds to upgrade the Sainai Prison.

The Acting Speaker, Lord Tu'ilakepa called for the House to close for the day.