ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY HIS MAJESTY, KING GEORGE TUPOU V
Wednesday 24th November 2010

In the year 1875, the King and his Nobles made a tryst with their God to govern the people according to the Constitution and the standards of civilisation of the day in order to maintain and promote peace and prosperity throughout the country.

The Constitution balanced the representation of the King (in Parliament) with that of the Nobility and the People but Executive power was permanently vested in the King and the Privy Council.

But the world has undergone great changes in the past 135 years and we have attained many advances which those Nobility would have scarce believed possible. It is an opportune time therefore to change the way we are ruled in order that our country could benefit from the talents and gifts which it has pleased the Almighty to grant to each of our people without favour whether they are born into the Upper or Lower Classes of society.

My duty is to be true to the promise made by those Noblemen in the past to rule the people with justice and mercy.

It was this duty which animated the submission of my Reforms of the Laws and Constitution to the Parliament and it undoubtedly motivated the House unanimously to accept them on 19th of July.

The number of Members representing the people shall be increased from 9 to 17 Members while the number representing the Nobility shall remain unchanged at 9.

The Parliament of 26 Members shall elect one of their number whom I shall appoint Prime Minister and he, in turn, shall choose no more than eleven (11) Ministers to form the Cabinet.

I shall grant my Executive Powers to the Cabinet and the Parliament and in future the Sovereign shall act only on the advice of His Prime Minister.

In accordance with the powers held by the Sovereign under the Constitution, I shall appoint the members of the Privy Council, the Judicial Law Committee of the Privy Council and the Lord Chancellor.

The Sovereign shall appoint all the Judges, Magistrates and the Attorney General but only on the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments and Disciplinary Panel. This body will be chaired by the Lord Chancellor and membership by the Law-Lords-in-Waiting of the Privy Council.

Other Judicial Powers held by the Sovereign under the Constitution may only be exercised on the advice of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

I have every confidence that the 25th. of November will be the greatest and most historic day for our Kingdom. You will choose your representatives to the Parliament and thus the first elected Government in our country's long history.

At sunrise on Election Day you will feel the warmth of the sun as well as the gaze of your ancestors from the past and those of countless unborn generations in the future turn towards you. For a few brief moments in our meagre lives we shall occupy the attention of history itself and we will be judged on how we have kept its trust. It will be at this moment that our true character as a nation will show.

I send you all my Greetings.

GEORGE R