Press Release from Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement

Thursday, 10 June 2004 5:55 PM

Subject: Response to Mr Edwards & Sangster Saulala

Temo, has been mockingly misused by Clive Edwards and Sangster Saulala's TV OBN appearances, says Rev. Simote Vea.

The Human Rights & Democracy Movement In Tonga is extremely distressed by the attacks made by Sangster Saulala and Mr. Clive Edwards on TV OBN responding to the people's representatives boycotting the opening of the House.

Speaking on behalf of the Movement, Chairman and Acting Director, Rev. Simote M. Vea says, the word "Temo" has been misused mockingly by Clive Edwards and Sangster Saulala's OBN appearances to demean any individual or group like HRDMT, Parliamentarians (people's 7 reps), Taimi 'o Tonga, Kele'a, churches and clergies or anyone who wishes to exercise their rights given in the original Clause 7 of the Constitution, on freedom to expression, especially at times when an independent critical opinion on the government and its leadership is made.

In the said program Mr. Edwards angrily questioned, "who are they..?" referring to the 7 people's representatives. Mr. Edwards should simply realize that they are "the people". And in this context they are "the people" who are not given their natural right to involve in leadership. "He would be man enough to invite someone from the "Temo", not only to provide the "balances" they advocate in the new media legislation, but that they also be properly informed of the queries and misunderstandings they have of the "Temo", says Rev. Vea.

Clive also describes Civil Disobedience as rebellious and that, Human Rights was already in Tonga's Constitution since 1875. But, according to the basic freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, governments are hold responsible for the protection of the rights of the people to various basic fundamental freedoms including rejecting domestic surveillance and intimidation of political opponents by governments in power.

"Civil disobedience", according to Methodist discipline explains that all governments are subject to God's judgment, therefore the rights of individuals to dissent when acting under the constraint of conscience and after exhausting all legal recourse, to disobey laws deemed to be unjust. Basic Human Rights adopted in the 1875 Constitution have one major shortfall, i.e. the Political Rights of the people were not granted, i.e. the human rights of all people (age 21) to elect all members of parliament. This is the main human rights issue at question.