The Ashika siren song gets louder [1]
Monday, February 22, 2010 - 20:30. Updated on Sunday, May 25, 2014 - 22:05.
Editor,
I wish to add my voice to the siren songs being sung over Chinese orbital slot fees payable to Tongasat being used to buy the doomed 'bathtub'. I recall rosy reports from Parliament 17 months ago (11 September 2008) where immense gratitude was expressed in Parliament by PM Sevele to TongaSat because TongaSat was supposed to have become a successful national development 'project'.
When did Tongasat become a national development project in the first place? I know from TongaSats founding by my elder brother Kelepi Tupou that Tongasat was set up 100% on purely private and commercial grounds. How cheap to conjure up a false picture to make someone's point.
PM also stated then that as the Agency Agreement with Tongasat had been terminated, (By whom, why, when?) Tongasat was no longer liable to pay dividend to the Tongan government and could therefore pocket all orbital slots income.
It appears from the learned Finance Ministers testimony to the Royal Commission that this is not so. The Honorable Minister stated that funds for payment of the Ashika came from fees paid by China for orbital slots, but in a brazen twist of misinformation he then said that the funding came from Chinese aid money. Now where is the truthful source of funding? From Chinese government payment for Orbital slots or Chinese government aid money?
If the Chinese government does not lodge a stern complaint in the next few days for misuse of its aid money, we might surmise that the funds came after all from orbital slot fees. Some conscientious, honest, good governance and transparent officer in the Honorable Finance Ministers department knows the truth but they might not risk the livelihood of their family by speaking out and telling us the truth.
Tu'a 'ofa atu.
Samuel 'Ofeina'helotu Tupou