King "de jure" jeopardized by elite supporters [1]
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 - 11:30. Updated on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - 14:34.
Editor,
Many of my debating colleagues in this forum who professed to support our Monarchy, are not aware they're jeopardizing His Majesty's moral governance as our Monarch de jure.
We were all optimistic that King George V has ". . . voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic aspirations of many of his people" (His Majesty. . . 10 Apr 2009).
The "Emperor Has No Clothes"
However, with all due respects, His Majesty wants to exempt the "Monarch's judicial powers . . . appointment of judges, etc.," from the democratization process. He wants to preserve the status quo which subjects the Judiciary Branch of Government as a puppet of the Executive Branch, King and Cabinet.
None of the supporters has the ethical temerity to remind His Majesty that such ambitions fit the adage: "The Emperor Has No Clothes." That His Majesty is an Absolute Monarch by ruling two of the three branches of government. But the people are not supposed to know because they're expected to stay uneducated. By default, His Majesty is a "de facto" ruler.
Liberate the Judiciary, and King
Examples of these gatekeepers are recent letters from Mr. Senituli Penitani (29 May 2010); Mr. Lopeti Senituli (03 May 2010); Mr. Fale (20 May 2010); to include Minister of Justice Hon. Samiu Vaipulu's speech to Tongan journalists (03 May 2010).
They publicly reminded us of the barriers of cultural restrictions; fear of peer pressure; fear of overstepping one's rank; fear of religious condemnations; fear of losing one's power and comfortable position; fear of "foreign cultures" invasion, and fear of sharing power with the people.
Conclusion
King and Cabinet are "elite" power players poised to continue the rule of a "few over the many." Their misplaced fears are blinding them to the greatness of the Tongan people ready to be unleashed in Modern Tonga. Liberating the Judiciary (confirmation by the Legislative Branch) will give us a legitimate Monarch de jure.
Sione Akemeihakau Mokofisi
samokofisi [at] email [dot] phoenix [dot] edu