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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Saturday 4 July 1998
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Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
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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.