A three-days Pacific Regional Workshop on Communication and Good Governance was officially opened in Nuku'alofa on February 2 by Tonga's Minister of Information and Communication, Mrs 'Eseta Fusitu'a, who shared an anecdote about how foreign media asked her "irritating" questions.

The workshop at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre, was co-hosted by the Tongan Government and the Commonwealth Secretariat, and was the first of its kind in the region for government communication officers.

Commonwealth member countries in the region were invited, but the only countries that sent participants were Samoa, Solomon Islands, and the Cook Islands.

Dr Taiamoni Pifeleti from the Commonwealth Secretariat, London, said that there were no participants from Papua New Guinea because of transport problems, and the Cook Islands had two participants, but one had to return home because of a death in the family.

Dr Pifeleti said the objective of the workshop was in line with the Pacific Plan of the Pacific Islands Forum on "Good Governance". She stressed that the working objective of government communication officers is for quality public services and not just bureaucracy.

Irritating questions

'Eseta in her Opening Address said government, since 1875 had drafted legislation and set up local newspaper, radio and television with the sole intention to inform the public.

'Eseta said foreign media were an "irritation", and she believed that Tonga's image had been damaged by some of the stories that had been published by the foreign press. She told of how she was contacted by a foreign journalist prior to the coronation of King George Tupou V in August 2008 and asked questions about the cost of sending the king's crown to the UK to be polished. 'Eseta said she asked the journalist for what she thought would be a good alternative, for the king to have a plastic crown; or for the king not to have a crown at all?

'Eseta expressed her hope that at the end of the workshop there would be a handbook on how government communication officers can improve their work and, especially, on how to handle the foreign media.