Editor,

THERE has been a lot of concerns about the independence of the judiciary branch of government in Tonga. I believe that these concerns are valid. For this reason, I have two suggestions to resolve this problem. These two suggestions are as follows:-
(i) Have all the magistrate or municipal court judges elected by the people every three years.
(ii) Have all the Supreme and/or Appellate Court Judges and Attorney Generals nominated by the King or the Prime Minister and let the Legislative Assembly have a confirmation hearing on the moral qualifications and the legal philosophies of such a nominee. If the nominee is not confirmed by the Legislative Assembly, get another nominee for confirmation hearing. A confirmed nominee can only hold the position for not more than four years.

Candidates for the magistrate judges' election, nominees for the Supreme and Appellate Courts, and Attorney Generals must hold the required legal/educational qualifications for the positions they are seeking.

I hope that these suggestions will lead to an implementation of the above-mentioned to develop and maintain some independence of the judiciary branch of government in Tonga. Independence of the judiciary is extremely important to protect the constitutional and the other legal rights of the people of Tonga. As the expected reformation of the Legislative Assembly, the people of Tonga should also have a more voice in their judiciary branch of government. As long as a few is controlling the selections and/or appointments and functions of the judges, interpretations of the law and decisions in courts will continue to be comprised to the detriment of the citizens of Tonga.

Let the truth free us all! There is no other way but that.

'Ofa atu,
Siosaia Fatani.

sstuakoi [at] yahoo [dot] com [1].