Raising Tonga's standard of living poses a challenge for candidates [1]
Saturday, November 13, 2010 - 13:27. Updated on Saturday, May 3, 2014 - 20:07.
FOR Tonga to raise it's standard of living and to eradicate poverty, candidates for the coming parliamentary election had a few different ideas, including changing lending policies and declaring Tonga to be a "least-developed country".
Five candidates taking part in the ninth "Candidates Meeting the Press" program at the International Dateline Hotel on Wednesday evening, November 10 were Teisina Fuko, 'Ahongalu Fusimalohi, Sione Maumau, Seventeen Toumo'ua and 'Eliesa Fifita.
One candidate believed that the Tonga Development Bank to return to its original lending policy of empowering local entrepreneurs with relevant lending terms.
Loans
The Minister of Revenue Collection, Hon Teisina Fuko, a former regional manager of the Tonga Development Bank, and a candidate for constituency no. 13 believed that the TDB had moved away from it's original working objective and it was offering loans on commercial terms, similar to what is offered by commercial banks, which discouraged people from borrowing money either to start up new businesses or to improve their living standard.
Poor
Another candidate believed that Tonga should declare itself to be a poor country and place itself under the category of the least-developed countries of the world
'Ahongalu Fusimalohi a candidate for constituency no. 4 expressed his concern over how poor a majority of the Tongan people had become, and he believed that Tonga might be given a lot of financial assistance if it was to be listed among the least-developed countries of the world. He said that the Samoan economy was growing faster than Tonga's during the past few years, and they had access to more financial assistance because they had been listed in the category of the least developed countries for years.
Subsistence farming
Seventeen Toumo'ua, a candidate for constituency no. 9, an engineer, believed that if the Tongan people went back to subsistence farming as the basis for its agricultural industry, Tonga would be able to collectively meet the demand of the overseas markets for Tongan produce. Seventeen also suggested for the establishment of a new marketing entity, similar to the former Commodities Board, to be responsible for the marketing of Tongan produce and to look after the welfare of the growers.
Skilled workers
Sione Maumau, a former high school teacher, who was responsible for the recruiting of the first group of seasonal workers to go to New Zealand work as fruit pickers believed that the training of skilled workers was a first step toward raising the living standard and the eradication of poverty. He said that if Tonga was sending skilled workers to New Zealand, instead of fruit pickers, they would be able to bring back several more times more foreign earnings than the fruit pickers.
Work hard
'Eliesa Fifita, a candidate for constituency no. 1 emphasized for the people to prepare to work hard to make a living and not to be fooled to believe that that the government that will be elected in on November 25 would suddenly bestow them with opportunities and wealth.
The Media Council's program, "Candidates Meeting the Press", running since September 15 will have a final program next Wednesday, November 17 when the topic to be discussed will be the 'Separation of Powers' within the new structure of government.