Results for politics

Only 38% (less than half) of the registered voters of Tongatapu cast votes in this past election. The country is going to be guided by the minority, a democracy by the few and for the fewer. - Mafi ‘o Amerika Samoa

'Oku ou kole ke u hufanga he fakatapu ka e fai ha kau atu he paenga talanoa 'o e vahaope. -'Inoke Fotu Hu'akau

Ne u lele atu ki hotau fonua ki Tonga ne u sio atu 'ou manavahe he'eku fakatokanga'i ta ko e palopalema 'o Tonga ko kitautolu pe ia. 'Oku ou faka'amu ke u 'o atu ha tefito'i fakakaukau 'e fa ka te u feinga pe ke u 'a'ahi ki he palopalema pe 'e taha he taimini. -Mafi 'o Amerika Samoa

A new political party, called the Paati Langafonua Tu'uloa or "PLT", was officially launched by its president Sione Fonua at the Basilica, Nuku'alofa, on Saturday, August 18.

It is time for the people of Tonga to retire all of the People's Representatives. Nothing they have done in Parliament even for the past 20 years would make up for the damages they have instigated to the image of Tonga. The hate campaign conducted by the leading members of the Pro-Democracy movement on the ethnic business community has come to fruition and has made Tonga, and worse its people, as a racist country in the eyes of the international community. The multiplier effect of such destruction on the economy and the people of Tonga as a whole will be immense. - Inoke Fotu Huakau

Neongo `a e longoa`a `a e kau Temo mo e `ikai ha`anau fokotu`utu`u mahino makehe mei he veteki faka`aufuli `a e fa`unga lolotonga `o e Pule`anga `o fa`ao kotoa `a e ngaahi mafai faka-Konisitutone `o e Tu`i kae fili kotoa `e he kakai `a e Palemia mo e kau Minisita, `oku malie `aupito `a e tukutuku mamalie mai `e he Pule`anga `a e mafai koe`uhi kae `i ai ha faingamalie fe`unga ke mateuteu `a e kakai `o e fonua ki he ngaahi liliu.-`Ofa-ki-Tonga

Tongan MPs should learn something from Tuvalu. I read on the Pacnews of 27 October that the Small island state of Tuvalu makes Big decisions like freeze on allowances and overseas travels of MPs until cash flow problems improve, said new Prime Minister, Apisai Ielemia. "When my government came to power, we put in place some measures that we think would improve our finances. "“These are allowances of all MPs, cabinet ministers and backbenchers have been frozen until such time our economy can cope with it. There is also a freeze on overseas travel for cabinet and civil servants." - Seini Pua Mafi

The King and the Government of Tonga should allow the people to elect all the members of the Tongan parliament, Dr Sitiveni Halapua told the Tongan Legislative Assembly today (5 October 2006).... At question time a People's Representative 'Akilisi Pohiva asked how deeply had the NPCR and the people discussed Section 75 of the Constitution - the right of members of parliament to impeach Cabinet Ministers, because there had been 10 impeachment cases since 1912, but no ministers had ever been impeached in Tonga.

Over a thousand people took to the streets of Nuku'alofa today, in a national march to present to the Palace a letter of petition calling for "political reform". Photos by Linny Folau/ Matangi Tonga.