PM Pohiva advised to avoid mental burdens [1]
Saturday, June 1, 2019 - 14:43. Updated on Saturday, June 1, 2019 - 14:49.
By Pesi Fonua
Tonga, effectively, is without a Prime Minister, because Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva, on a brief return to the country, told the Tongan media this week that his doctor in New Zealand had advised him not to engage in any intensive mental activity.
Following the opening of parliament on May 30, the PM called a press conference at St George Building, before returning to Auckland, where he may continue to undergo medical treatment. He was admitted to Vaiola Hospital on March 28, followed by six weeks in New Zealand for unspecified medical procedures. He delayed a second phase of his treatment to return to Tonga on May 18, before parliament opened.
“I'm very happy to be here. I was not too sure if I was going to be able to come back and meet you all. Glad to see you all,” he said.
PM Pohiva said he always considered the media to be very important and, "I treasure the independence of the media.”
Speaking in Tongan he said, “the doctor advised me to stay healthy and don’t get involved in the mental burden of decision making.”
The PM returned to New Zealand yesterday, Friday 31 May, where he said he would finalize with his doctor the second phase of a treatment that he has to undergo. The PM spelled out his options: either undergo the operation, or just return home and try to stay healthy.
The PM did not reveal any details about his particular illness, though cancer has been widely speculated.
Conflicted
However, the advice by the doctor for the Prime Minister to stay away from any mind-boggling debates is definitely not possible if you are a Prime Minister.
Since PM Pohiva returned to Tonga two weeks ago, he could not avoid all the complex issues that Tonga is facing at the moment.
He attended the opening of parliament by HM King Tupou VI on Thursday morning, and then called the Press Conference, in order to comment on some of the issues that the King highlighted in his speech.
Initially, Prime Minister Pohiva told the press conference that he was “very, very happy” with the fact that the King was in favour of the decision for a national democratic Public Consultation over the six bills that his government tabled into parliament.
But later, the Prime Minister changed his mind, calling the consultations “troublemaking” and revealing that his Cabinet is moving to impeach the Speaker on the issue.
No vision
He admitted that the King was right when he said at the opening of parliament that government has no vision for economic development.
“He is right because the economic plan has not been spelled out clearly.”
Currently the working plan of each ministry revolves around planning for projects expenditure.
“We are still working with Corporate Plans. The corporate this year is no different from last year. It is just a copy of last years.”
Healthy living and skills education
PM Pohiva also agreed with the King’s views on the importance of healthy living and skills training for Tongans.
“The King’s message was that we need healthy people to do our work.”
“Our eating habit, smoking cigarettes, drinking kava late into the night. We definitely have damaged parts of our bodies.”
Education was another issue that the King touched on in his speech.
The Prime Minister said that what the King was talking about was that when our children leave schools they should have learned a skill.
The Prime Minister, a former school teacher believed that what is happening is that we push education for the sake of a few who are very smart.
“When they reach Form 6 and 7 there's only about 10% of the class left, and they will definitely get scholarships. The others failed and missed out of scholarships. Very sad.”
“I tell you it is an unforgiveable sin that we, the leaders, have done to the people of this country.
“The parents should take us to court for misleading them, by educating everyone with the objective of getting a degree, but we all know it will never happen.”
The PM then apologised that he talked too much about education, but it was “because I was a teacher and I know the problem and it is true.”
Lost the map
The final issue that the PM wanted to talk about was his Hala Fononga or ‘Road Map’ that he had followed all his life “up to where I am now”.
In the past, he said that the country had faced difficult times and people were seeking their rights and there were protest marches to the King and to Parliament, and the civil servants went on strike for about seven weeks [2005], then the Nuku‘alofa Central Business District got burnt down in riots [2006].
However, parliament formed a Commission chaired by the late Prince Tu‘ipelehake. The Commission was given a Term of References and they went on a consultation mission with Tongans in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Tonga.
The PM was in favour of the recommendation of the Commission, for the reformed House to be made up of 21 elected members, 17 by the people and four by the Prime Minister.
However, the proposition was not accepted, and other parliamentary committees were formed to come up with a favourable proposition for the composition of a Legislative Assembly and a government.
The PM did not elaborate on how Tonga ended up with our current structure of government, other than saying that “we have lost the Road Map.”
Pessimistic
He said that he has been asked for his view on Tonga’s future and his response was “we are in a dangerous situation.”
He said this was: “Because we have gone astray from the wishes of the people.”
After that PM Pohiva appeared to flip from being “very, very happy” about the Public Consultation and seemed to be not at all happy about it.
He pointed out that the House did not vote on the Public Consultation to be carried out, and it had no term of references.
He also confirmed that Cabinet had moved to impeach the Speaker, Lord Fakafanua for his allegedly illegal decision, for the public consultation over the six Bills to be conducted by the House’s Standing Committee on Legislation.
"I don’t call it a Public Consultation. I call it Trouble Making!” he said.
Amendment Bills
Going back to the Acts that the PM and his Cabinet are pushing to be amended, why did they vote for them and pass them in 2010?
The PM admitted, “We were careless, they were passed, and what followed were a number of amendments. There was pressure and at the end we passed them.”