From the House, an English translation summary from the Tongan vernacular, by Pesi Fonua.

Tonga Legislative Assembly, Minutes Nos. 27-29, the week September 10-13, 2007.

The Minutes Numbers 27-29 covered a week's work of the House, trying to find a way forward for the big issue of Political Reform.

In a nut-shell, it is probably the first time ever for the Tongan Parliament to be in such a confused state. The debate became so confusing that on the final day, Thursday, September 13, Noble Luani, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Reform Committee, pleaded with the Chairman of the Whole House Committee to call for votes, saying they had reached a "Tower of Babel" crisis, "You ask for a nail, you are given a hammer. You ask for a bucket, you are given an axe!" he complained.

From the onset on Monday September 10 the House was clearly divided into its three traditional components, the Cabinet Ministers, the Noble's Representatives and the People's Representatives. There were dissidents, such as PRs Samiu Vaipulu and 'Osai Latu, but debate fell into three distinct lines of thought over the two main topics for debate:

- When the Reform should take place, meaning when the new composition of the parliament will be put into place. A sub topic was that if there will an election next year, it will have to be under the existing electoral system, and the House must approve it immediately as it is required by law.

- The procedure, the process of getting the new composition implemented. The clauses of the Constitution and the law to be amended.

These were the two main issues that the Parliamentary Committee for Political Reform (formerly known as the Tripartite Committee) could not agreed on and that was why they referred them back to the House.

But because it went back for the House to decide, 'Akilisi Pohiva on the behalf of the seven PRs said they had withdrawn their support from all the other decisions that were passed by the Reform Committee. He was a member of the committee but he was under the illusion that whatever the committee agreed on it would be just rubber-stamped by the House.

If that was not confusing enough, the next move by the PRs was even more amazing. 'Akilisi then said that they were going back to support the report of the NCPR, the so-called Tu'ipelehake Committee, and their recommendation for a new 26 member Tongan Parliament, 17 members to be elected by the people, and nine to be elected by the nobles. The fact that 'Akilisi Pohiva and Clive Edwards had last year left the NCPR and formed their own reform movement and later presented their own model for reform in opposition to the NCPR, was another addition to the mixture of confusion, because they were going back to support something that they opposed fiercely at the beginning.

Their main reason why they want the change to take place as next year was because they said that, "it was what the people wanted" and "the people are angry".

Unacceptable

'Uliti Uata said that they had been hard done by from government because they had given in but government was standing fast. He said that the move to give the king the right to appoint four cabinet Ministers was not their proposal but they accepted it. So he was proposing for the election under the new proposed composition to take place in 2009.

The logic of 'Uliti's proposition was totally unacceptable to the Minister of Police, who could not understand the need for a deadline, he said, when the most important thing for them was to implement a reform that is sound and will be long lasting.

The government stance as outlined by the Prime Minister, Hon. Dr Feleti Sevele, the Minister of Justice, 'Alisi Taumoepeau and the Minister of Police, Siaosi 'Aho, was that to reform a political system that has been with us for 131 years is not a simple matter. To do it justice, speed is secondary and the most important thing is to do it properly. The Prime Minister said that the king is leading the way by allowing the House to appoint Cabinet Ministers. 'Alisi said that government will set up two groups of experts, one to amend the constitution and an Electoral Commission to look at the electoral law.

A former Minister of Police, lawyer, Clive Edwards did not think that it was such a complicated matter, he said that it could take not longer than a couple of days to amend the constitution and the Electoral Act.

Outraged

The noble's stance offered a new perspective to the issue, but further intensified the complexity of the issue.

Noble Tu'ivakano was outraged by 'Uliti's expression that they were kind of bargaining with government on the number of elected members into the new Parliament. He asked the member who he did he think he was to come up with such an outrageous proposal, to change a government which was the work of Tupou I and some of his ancestors.

"Where were your ancestors?" he asked.

Mohammed

Noble Lasike in an attempt to express his view on how important it was for the House to make the right decision, quoted renown world leaders. He said it is paramount for him to preserve history and tradition, quoting, in English, "A man with no History is a No Man," and "The key of Liberty must be flourished from time to time with the blood of patriots." [alt. "The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots."]

Lasike said that a democratic form of government can work hand in hand with a monarchy, and he gave Australia as an example. He supported the Prime Minister and the government, and called on the PRs not to hasten reform. He then concluded his speech with a story of a conversation between Richard the Lion Heart and Prophet Mohammed.

Mohammed - "What are you doing in my country?"

Richard - "I am here to Christianise your country."

Mohammed - "Who are you to visit me, and the temple of my ancestors and to christianise me?"

Lasike again repeated his support for the PM and the government and said that if they thought the proposed reform was good for the country then they should proceed with it, but if it was not going to bring peace to the country, then they should stop it.

Devil gone crazy

Noble Tangipa after proposing that under the new composition of the House there should be a Noble's Representative and a People's Representative from each of the two Niuas, because they are two separate islands.

He said that his interpretation for democracy in Tonga is a devil that has gone crazy, and the reason why he thinks so was because the push for democracy in Tonga during the past 20 years had brought set-backs and destruction.

"We lost our airline, our shipping line, no air services to the Niuas, and they have even destroyed Nuku'alofa for the sake of democracy and human rights."

He concluded his speech by referring to Hitler, who came into power under this system of selfish regime, and caused the death of seven million people. Tangipa ended his speech by referring to how a judge passed a very democratic judgment, when he responded to the call of the people to crucify an accused, "and the people still remember the crucifixion of our Lord to this day."

Tower of Babel

Noble Luani begged the Chairman to called for votes because they had reached a "Tower of Babel crisis".

The Chairman said the last motion was by the Minister for Tourism for the reform to take place in 2010.

However, when the Chairman called for votes, the motion was "for the reform to take in 2009."

It was rejected 15-7. For it were 'Akilisi Pohiva, Clive Edwards, Vili Helu, 'Uliti Uata, Sunia Fili, Lepolo Taunisila and Lasike.

Then in the Legislature, the Speaker called for votes on those who want the political reform to take place in 2010.

It was carried 15-7. Against were those who were for the motion in the Whole House Committee.

The Tongan parliament will close until October 25.