Dear Pesi,

Regrettably I must again write to inform you of another of Clive Edwards's lies. He said to you that I had announced that there was a plot for a coup by some ministers. The real story is as follows.

Relations between the Minister for Law and the then Chief Justice, Gordon Ward, had deteriorated to a point where it became a very serious concern to me. It was obvious to me who was behind it and what direction their ambitions had taken. To diffuse the situation I sought an audience with His Majesty the King just before he left for medical treatment in the United States.

Convention prevents me from telling you the conversation we had word for word, but suffice it to say that at the conclusion of the audience, I was confidently able to announce in the next Privy Council, without mentioning any names, that "...nobody in this room will ever be appointed a Judge in this Kingdom."

Plotting and executing a coup d'etat requires diligence, brains and a high order of organisational skills. For these reasons, it is an activity of which no one can honestly, in good conscience, accuse Clive Edwards.

Yours ever,

hrh

HRH Crown Prince Tupouto'a
Friday, 21 January 2005 4:49 PM