By Pesi Fonua

The 20th birthday of the Taimi 'o Tonga newspaper was marked with a thanksgiving prayer service at the Queen Salote College Hall on Saturday, November 21, with the publisher and editor Kalafi Moala announcing changes.

The occasion was spiritually charged. The program was directed by Rev. Savinata Moala, a brother of Kalafi, who announced that the special thanksgiving service "dedicated the Taimi to god". The Kolomotu'a Free Wesleyan Church choir set the glorifying atmosphere with some fine choir singing. The dedication and the benediction was led by Rev. Dr 'Ahio, the President of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga.

Kalafi gave a flashback on his struggle to keep his paper running over the last two decades. He highlighted his stint in jail with 'Akilisi Pohiva and Filokalafi 'Akau'ola, [for contempt of Parliamentary Proceedings], and how he moved his operation to New Zealand and then later returned to Tonga.

Kalafi recalled how when he was in New Zealand he received an email from Dr Feleti Sevele asking him why the Taimi was so negative in its reporting. Kalafi tearfully apologised for anything that they might have got wrong and asked to be forgiven. He said that they had now changed and they were also praising people.

He announced a new joint venture with Joseph Ramanlal, and said that a printing press was currently being established at Longolongo and the Taimi would become a daily newspaper by mid-January 2010. He also announced that the Taimi would have a new deputy editor, Sia Adams.

During the three-hour long thanksgiving ceremony there were also reflections and encouragement speeches by the Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele and by Pita Moala, an elder brother of Kalafi. Also present was the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Viliami Tangi.

The celebration ended with the cutting of a birthday cake by Kalafi and his wife Suliana, with refreshments for about 200 relatives and friends who attended the event.