Tonga copied Singapore's suppressive media laws when it drafted its new media legislation that came into force this year, Tongan journalists marking World Press Freedom Day in Tonga on May 3 were told.

A key instigator of Tonga'.’s repressive media laws, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Hon. 'Aisea Taumoepeau, was the guest speaker, invited by the Media Council Inc. of Tonga to speak on the theme of "“Freedom of Expression and Conflict Management in Crisis Situations and Countries in Transition"

Tonga's Constitutional change last year restricted the Freedom of Speech in the kingdom and allowed new media legislation to control the press and to regulate disincentives for investment in independent publishing.

The Minister said the Tonga government had adopted parts of the media laws of Singapore, saying that if the media laws had worked well for Singapore "“then there is no reason why it should not be beneficial for Tonga.

"“It is noted that in Singapore, religious churches are not permitted to operate newspapers, political parties are not permitted to operate newspapers as political agendas or to obstruct fair and correct provision of information. The divulging of information should be non-partisan.

"The responsibility of the Government is to define the boundaries and scope of expression that are conducive to an organised society. The media's role is to provide information at the same time respecting the rights of others."

When Pesi Fonua, chairman of the Media Council, asked if Tonga's new laws infringed on Freedom of Religion, the minister replied "You should ask the Singaporeans."

Lopeti Senituli, the director of Tonga Trust, asked if the Tongan government would follow Singapore and will not grant churches publishing licences. A former director of the Tonga Human Rights Movement Lopeti first gave a brief historical background of the Singapore Press Law and asked the Minister why was it necessary for Tonga to use the Singaporean Press Law when it had been created for a different environment and to solve a Singaporean problem that was not relevant in modern Tonga?.

The Minister answered that he brought the matter in just as an example.

Simote Vea, the Director of the Tonga Council of Churches, pointed out that the Minister, as the main engineer behind the drafting of the media legislation, was still not going to stop overseas media from making a poor image of our King.

The Minister caused laughter by answering Simote with a prayer whereby he asked God "“to bless those that spread the gospel so that they do not interfere in matters that do not concern them as well as in political issues."

But when Linny Folau of Matangi Tonga Online asked the Minister, "“if the purpose of the media legislation is control, then it seems to us that Government is trying to monopolise all public voices - so we must ask why is the state not strong enough to listen to any voice other than it's own?"

The Minister simply answered that, "“Government is not trying to monopolise anything."

Mary Lyn Fonua, co-owner of the independent Vava'u Press publishers, whose publishing licence was withheld for the first three months of 2004 under the Media Operators Act, said that by adopting fragments of an old and outdated Singaporean law, "“the Minister would have us believe that Tonga is conforming with some modern international standard. When, in fact, as a result of the change to the Tongan Constitution Tonga has lost its old democratic foundation of free speech and, sadly, appears to be gaining a new international status alongside states that abuse Human Rights."

She asked the minister why it was necessary for Tonga, "“to suffer this degrading new international status, in order to keep this media legislation in place, particularly when you claim there is nothing new in it?"

The minister replied, "That is a political question," and added "“No one is going to suffer."