By Pesi Fonua

The Tongan Parliament has launched a new handbook to guide parliamentary reporters.

The 88 pages bilingual Tongan/English, Tonga Parliamentary Reporters’ Handbook was launched by the Speaker Lord Fakafanua, at Parliament House, Nuku'alofa, this morning, 4 March 2021.

The publication is the first of its kind for the Tongan parliament since Tonga’s political reform introduced a new parliamentary structure in 2010.

The handbook was prepared for the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), with funding from the Australian Government through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The author is not identified.

The handbook lists some useful parliamentary rules and procedures and references applicable acts. It gives a brief guide to sources, asserting that “journalists sometimes do not fully realise the abundance of information that is available in Parliament.”

It stresses that a parliamentary reporter, “is also expected to be able to put developments into perspective.”

No mention of poltiical parties

Significantly, the new handbook makes no mention of the role of political parties in Tonga’s parliament.

Since the reform of 2010, the Tongan public has been, and still is, struggling to come to terms with the structure of the new Parliament, which is made up of 17 People’s Representatives elected by the People and Nine Nobles’ Representatives elected by the 33 Nobles of the Realm.

The informal structure of parliament, at the moment, is made up of two political parties. The current government, headed by Hon. Rev. Dr Pohiva Tu‘i‘onetoa, sees itself as the People’s Party, in opposition to the party of the Friendly Islands – Paati Politiki ‘a e ‘Otu Felenite (PATOA).

However, this concept of political parties is out of context with the parliamentary structure that was launched in 2010, so if the reporting by journalists of the proceedings in the House appears to be in disarray, it is because parliament is run under a political party system of government, completely in disregard to what was introduced in 2010.

Added to that, is the fact that closed committees have largely taken over the readings of the bills and shifted away from the free and open debate in the House, that the public used to follow before the reform.

The handbook says that Journalists “must also understand” that committee reports cannot be released.

The handbook concludes: “Although journalists have easy access to MPs and ministers in Tonga, sometimes getting the information they want is a bit difficult, especially from Ministers.”

Meanwhile, Parliament’s Office was unable to name the author of the new handbook.