Cabinet supports PM's call for Finance Minister's resignation [1]
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 - 21:00. Updated on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 - 22:34.
By Pesi Fonua
Tonga’s Cabinet this afternoon supported the Prime Minister’s call for the resignation of the Minister of Finance, Hon. Lisiate ‘Akolo - who is refusing to stand down, after commenting on radio recently about a 5% salary rise for civil servants.
Hon. Clive Edwards, the Minister of Justice said that at the Special Cabinet Meeting the Prime Minister Lord Tu‘ivakano informed his Ministers of his decision to call for the Minister of Finance to resign from Cabinet, and to give them the opportunity to express their views on how his decision might affect the Cabinet, the people generally and Lisiate himself.
Clive said that 10 Cabinet Ministers attended the meeting, with the exception of Hon. Fe‘ao Vakata, the Minister for Public Enterprises, who was away in his constituency, Niuatoputapu and Niuafo‘ou, and the Minister of Finance, Hon. ‘Akolo.
Lisiate told Matangi Tonga earlier today that he was turned away at the gate by a security guard who stopped him from entering the meeting on the direction of the Acting Secretary to Cabinet.
Clive said that at the special meeting this afternoon, one or two of the Ministers pleaded with the Prime Minister to have mercy on Lisiate and to withdraw his call for the resignation, but he was surprised “with the unity of the Cabinet members” in support of the Prime Minister’s decision.
“...if there was any compelling reason to alter the decision, some changes could have been made, but there was not enough pressure there or support for the change,” said Clive, who confirmed that at this stage the request for the resignation was still outstanding.
“What the Prime Minister will do from now onwards is another matter, and I think he will have to take legal advice from Crown Law tomorrow and see where he goes from there, and whether he is going to terminate Lisiate's appointment and make an interim appointment, that remains to be seen.”
Clive said that the Prime Minister had made a statement to the Cabinet in addition to giving them a copy of the letter he sent to Lisiate.
“I did ask that the letter be released to the media but I think the Cabinet Ministers decided that it should be left to the Prime Minister and wait until Lisiate's response before anything is released. I said it would have been a good idea if the thing was released as it would help clear the air as to there was anything wrong there,” said Clive.
Legally, the Prime Minister had the right to appoint or to remove any of his Cabinet Ministers at his sole discretion, said Clive. “If he feels that there are some complications then he will get Crown Law to advise him.
“Of course, as I see it, if you ask somebody to resign and you don't, well you can say as you have failed to submit your resignation, I will cancel your appointment and as from now you are no longer a minister, then a new appointment can be made. But it is up to him to seek as to how he will do it. I think it is best for the government advisors to advise him or he can get private advice from elsewhere.”
Not resigned
Meanwhile, Hon. Lisiate ‘Akolo told Matangi Tonga Online this afternoon that he had not resigned, after he was given a letter from the Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano that informed him to resign, while he was in New Zealand early this week.
What Lisiate gathered from the letter was that, somehow, their interpretation of what he said on an hour-long Radio Tonga and FM programme at the end of December was not in line with a Cabinet decision to offer a 5 percent salary increase to civil servants.
“Go and listen to the programme, particularly the first 27 minutes of it … I was just trying to clarify the 5% increase,” said Lisiate, who added that he could not understand what they were angry about.