From the House,
By Pesi Fonua

THE debate on the Budget Statement and the Budget Program for 2010-11 in the Tongan Legislative Assembly on Thursday, June 24 highlighted how members of parliament, particularly People's Representatives, do not know how aid funds are induced into the national budget.

The process of how foreign aid is incorporated into the National Budget became an issue in the House, when while the Whole House Committee was debating the Budget Statement, and a PR 'Isileli Pulu introduced the Privy Purse of the king from the Budget Program and claimed that the king had a salary rise from $300,000 to a $1 million, and that half of the salary was paid for with foreign aid.

The Minister of Finance corrected 'Isileli that the Privy Purse is not the salary of the king, rather it was the amount that government allocated for the keeping of the king, and it covered the wages for his personal staff, and other royal obligations, including the house keeping of the queen, the king's mother.

However, following the correction by the Minister of Finance on Monday June 21 'Isileli proceeded to tell the regional and international media that the salary of the king had gone up from $300,000 to a million, and it was partially funded with aid donors' funds.

The Prime Minister, Dr Feleti Sevele raised his concern about the PR making the comments in the media, after he had been corrected by the Minister of Finance. He also pleaded with the Speaker and the Chairman of the Whole House Committee to be more alert with their work and to stop members from lying in the House.

Another PR, 'Akilisi Pohiva said that it was the responsibility of the PM and government to correct the news if it was wrong.

The Speaker disagreed with 'Akilisi, but he was not happy with the claim by the Prime Minister that he was not doing his job. He expressed his disappointment with 'Isileli Pulu for releasing information to the media which not been passed by the House.

'Isileli Pulu told the Speaker that once information was reported in the Parliamentary Minutes it was public information.

The Speaker told the member that what was in the Minutes was the debate, and his own interpretation, but what 'Isileli told the media regarded matters that had not been passed by the House.

The Speaker insisted that members had talked to the media as a matter of fact on an issue that actually had not been passed by the House.

The debate in the Legislature came to a conclusion with the Speaker calling for votes on a motion by the Governor of Ha'apai for the wages of security officers to be on the same level as that as Hansard [clerks].

When the House reconvened in the Whole House Committee debate continued on the same issue, until the Speaker moved a motion for the budget to be withdrawn for the Minister of Finance to revise.

Clive Edwards also moved for the Privy Purse to remain at a $1 million but that it should be paid for entirely with government's revenue and no foreign aid.

The Minister of Finance, Afu'alo Matoto agreed to withdraw the budget for revision, and he apologized for errors that were made by his staff in including the aid donors funds in the Privy Purse, "which should not be there," he said