The recent funeral of Tonga’s respected former Prime Minister HRH Prince Fatafehi Tu‘ipelehake, brought the country to a standstill for ten days. The occasion, however, reminded us again that Tonga is run by two sets of interwoven political orders, one so old that it has its origins in a mythical heaven, and the other so relatively new that it has not yet replaced the old. By Pesi Fonua. Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 14, no. 2, May 1999.
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Sunday 20 December 1998
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Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: The one good thing about impending economic doom is that it offers an opportunity for a serious look at what went wrong and how it can be corrected. By Pesi Fonua. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 13, no. 4, December 1998.
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Saturday 4 July 1998
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Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
At 80, HM King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV, the King of Tonga, means different things to different people. If the King’s words are his people’s command, then their wishes are his obligation—an agreement that was instilled by tradition and culture, and which was later put into writing in the Constitution of 1875. Editor's Comment by Pesi Fonua.
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Monday 27 April 1998
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
This year, the retiring of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Crown Prince Tupouto‘a, the resignation of the Minister of Lands, Noble Fakafanua, and the rumour of an application for retirement by the Prime Minister, Baron Vaea, has taken Tonga by surprise. Editor's comment by Pesi Fonua. From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 13, no. 1, April 1998.
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Monday 1 December 1997
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A constitutional monarchy as a system of government has been serving Tonga since 1875 making it the oldest government in the South Pacific Islands region. It has also been recognised as the most stable government in the region. But recently this 122-year-old system of government has come under pressure both from outside and from within the kingdom for some fundamental changes. FROM OUR ARCHIVES by Pesi Fonua.
