Speaker calls for urgent special meeting after messy debate on VNC motion [1]
Monday, August 20, 2012 - 18:12. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
From the House by Pesi Fonua
After a messy debate over a tangled web of confusion surrounding a Motion for Vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister, Tonga's Speaker closed today's session by calling for an urgent special meeting with some of the key members involved.
"I am not happy with where we have got to with the proceedings of the House," the Speaker Lord Fakafanua said.
He called for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano; the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Samiu Vaipulu; People's Representative 'Akilisi Pohiva, and the Chairman of the Whole House Committee, Siosifa Tu'utafiava to meet at the House conference room early this evening.
The House reconvened this morning to hear a written reply from members to the Prime Minister's response to their Motion for a Vote of No Confidence against him. But before the 49 pages reply was read, the Speaker called for the reading of two public petitions from Kolofo'ou Constituency against the Motion for a Vote of No Confidence.
Apart from these two petitions, which were very critical of the Peoples' Representatives who supported the Motion, the reading of the written reply of the PM's response was stopped in mid-air as members of the House moved three motions: two motions were against the reading of the reply; one motion saying it should have been in the form of an impeachment; and one calling for the reply to be read.
1. The Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Samiu Vaipulu moved for the House to amend its Rules of Proceedings, and to set a procedure on how to deal with a motion for a Vote of No Confidence. He also called for alleged defamatory comments against Cabinet Members to be deleted from the members' written reply.
2. The Minister of Finance, Hon. Lisiate 'Akolo, moved for the written reply to be given to a Select Committee to be vetted of what he called defamatory lies and sly comments.
3. 'Akilisi Pohiva, supported by the Chairman of the Whole House Committee, Sifa Tu'utafaiva, moved for the reply to be read. He argued that the House had a process to deal with a motion for a Vote of no Confidence, and if there was a shortfall in the Rules and Regulations of the House then the Speaker had the right to decide how they should deal with the motion.
4. Lord Nuku, the new Nobles' Representative for 'Eua, moved for the House to take into account a number of public petitions that had been presented to the House, signed by thousands of people, and to throw the motion out. He argued that going by the written reply from supporters of the motion, alleging that the PM infringed the constitution and made illegal decisions, they should impeach the Prime Minister instead. But if it was a decision on whether or not to continue with a motion for a vote of no confidence then the House should listen to the voice of the people presented in the new motions, with four new motions opposing the original motion for a vote of no confidence.
The debate got a bit messy and that was when the Speaker called for a special meeting with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and two members from the supporters of the motion.
Break
The House was reconvening today after a two weeks' break to allow members of parliament who supported a Motion for a Vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister to prepare in writing their reply to an earlier response from the Prime Minister to the motion made by ten members of parliament on June 18.
But meanwhile a growing number of public motions have been tabled into the House calling for the motion to be thrown out.
During the process of the House trying to deal with the Motion for a Vote on No Confidence, the instigators of the motion started to lose support when one of its ten signatories crossed the floor and became a cabinet minister; and one of the three former Cabinet Ministers who resigned from Cabinet on June 25 to give their support to the motion, had a stroke and is in hospital.
This means that any vote in the House at the moment would, probably, defeat the motion.
Numbers
The House has entangled itself with a presumption by supporters of the motion that they could topple a government overnight if they had the numbers.
But Noble Nuku argued that their motion and their written reply outlined alleged wrong doings by the PM that they are claiming took place in 1990s.
Semisi Tapueluelu said that they stopped people from signing petitions in support of their Motion for a Vote of No Confidence, because it was just a matter for the House to deal with, and said, "We can go out there and get petitions. I can announce on the radio: you can now write petitions."
Nuku replied that a public petition is constitutional right of the people to express their views, it was not something for members of parliament to stop or to go out and encourage them to sign a petition.
Sitiveni Halapua argued for their written reply to be read, because the PM was earlier given the right to present his response in the name of natural justice.
'Akilisi Pohiva argued that if the House would not allow their reply to be read the only option left was for him to go out there and he would call the public to come to a place where he would read out their reply.
Parliament will sit tomorrow to deal with the issues raised today of allegedly defamatory matter contained in the written reply and also to deal with the public petitions opposing the Motion for a Vote of No Confidence, and the other motions.