Editor

Borrowing from Prussian war theorist Carl von Clausewitz's concept of "the center of gravity," I propose that our political architects should confidently and fearlessly identify our political reform's "center of gravity."

Center of gravity means "the source of power that provides moral or physical strength, freedom of action, and will to act." Two key questions can identify our center of gravity: What form of government we are working on and who is to be blamed or praised for failure or success? Without clarifying the kind of government we promote leads only to restless confusions and unfounded suspicions.

Our king's vision for Tonga, as reiterated in that article from the Lord Chamberlain's office, provides a framework for our political reform. Apparently, Tupou V supports political reform, but it has to be under his shared power. That has to be clarified for the sake of our political, moral, and intellectual integrity. Verbal declaration of power surrendered without changing (or any intention to change) the constitution is just one of our seductive political rhetoric. We seduce only when we lack the confidence in the justness of our cause. Nothing wrong with the king's proposition of reform without "sweeping amendments to our constitution," and I believe that it can be done, but that has to be boldly clarified and philosophically defended, if we believe it to be the best way to pursue our common good. Downplaying that reality beclouds our political reform and failing to deal with it right now will lead to later political unrests.

At the founding of Fiji's democracy, Fiji founders failed to deal with their own cultural and political reality - the native Fijians resist being under an Indo-Fijian government. Truly, it was too threatening, too humbling to ask such sensitive question. And, instead of honestly facing reality, they built their democracy upon figment of their own imagination - the assumption that everyone likes equality. Fiji could have formed a different kind of democracy should they clarified their center of gravity. Tragically, when the Indo-Fijians won the elections, the native Fijians saw them as threats to their real but undefined center of gravity.



Denying the reality of culture and human nature will lead us to unwise solutions to our political problems. Too afraid, perhaps too arrogant, to face that dark side of human nature, the "peace-keeping" academics ignored the question of power. Today, it's Fijians against Fijians. But, at the root of Fiji's problem, is clash between culture and democracy. They failed to thoroughly identify their center of gravity.

It would be very Christ-like if George Tupou V and the nobles peacefully surrender their aristocratic privileges to democracy's demands for equality. Putting myself in their shoes, I'd do no different. That's very normal and very human. We have to accept and face that reality right now and integrate it to our political reform.

Tonga can't move forward without clarity of our center of gravity. Our centre of gravity would become our center of unity as a nation. We stand or fall at our centre of gravity. Center of gravity should motivate us and we should fight for it philosophically and pray for it continually. Center of gravity should provide us with moral strength, and should we converse with other nations, we can talk to them about our Tongan democracy with confidence and pride. After all, democracy's definition is democratically defined. Hundreds of text books about democracy are filled with thousand of definitions. America is proud of their liberal democracy; Singapore in their illiberal democracy; what kind of democracy should Tonga take pride on?

Right now, many people are dissatisfied with our government. We don't know who to be blamed between the king and the prime minister when we are dislike their leadership. Such lack of clarity creates more frustrations. It seems we are under a government with no one to blame when it fails. The lion-rat exchange between the king and the PM can be detrimental to our reform. The PM can hide under the king and the king can hide above the PM. It is worse when the people feel that the PM is only a king's puppet or vice versa.

Here in America, Obama leads and he knows that he is accountable for the failure or success of America. People know that he seeks advice, but also he acts independently according to his own judgment. People know whom to blame or praise.

Tonga needs a leader, be it the king or PM, who has the confidence to accept both praises and blame. That confidence, however, can be found only in a clear center of gravity.

Senituli Penitani

seni15266 [at] yahoo [dot] com [dot] au