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Results for Editorials

Wednesday 3 September 2003
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Although public reaction is heating up to a Tonga government move to control Freedom of Speech by changing Clause 7 of the island kingdom's 127 year old Constitution, few people yet realise the enormous and serious implications of what that change might mean. Objections so far have been based on the glaring illegality of the change, but there is more to it than that. By Pesi Fonua.
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Saturday 30 August 2003

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
During the past few years Tonga has become a Lali of the New Zealand media, and of some fringe New Zealand politicians. A Lali is a drum that is beaten hard with a stick, and in these people’s hands it has meant a thrashing for the Tongan Royalty and the Tongan government. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 2, August 2003.
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Saturday 30 August 2003

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
When the Tonga government’s ban on the Taimi ‘o Tonga newspaper came unstuck in March, it proceeded to draft bills to amend the Constitution and to introduce new legislation to try to regulate the media. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 2, August 2003.
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Sunday 30 March 2003

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
The banning of the Taimi ‘o Tonga newspaper from Tonga is an unprecedented decision by government, the first time ever for government to restrain the distribution of a publication since the proclamation by Tupou I of the Tongan Constitution in 1875, granting the right for “Freedom of the Press in Tonga for ever”. Editor's Comment From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 1, March 2003.
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Saturday 30 November 2002

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
The current economic reform, in preparation for when Tonga becomes a member of the World Trade Organisation, and the hype that this could pull the economy out from its state of stagnation, is the wishful thinking of many people. But the big question remains: are we ready to exploit our WTO membership, or is it going to be just like the other Free Trade Agreements we have signed with other countries, where it will enable us to import more from our partners but export less? From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.
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Friday 30 August 2002

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
Government has adopted a two-edged approach to its economic reform program. Editor's Comment. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 2, August 2002.
Thursday 20 December 2001

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
We found His Majesty, as usual, engrossed in imaginative new ways to bring a healthier economy to Tonga. He firmly believes that the interest by the United Arab Emirates to establish a friendly business relationship with Tonga could be the beginning of a valuable working relationship between the two countries. Meanwhile, the status of the Tonga Trust Fund remains a hot topic. From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 3, December 2001.
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Saturday 30 June 2001

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
A peaceful revolution is currently taking place in Tonga as we are trying to find the right combination to take advantage of what the 21st century has to offer. In business, never before have Tongan business people invested so much money in the Tongan economy, pouring millions of pa‘anga, into trade, telecommunications, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, power generation, the media, shipping, and even airlines. By Pesi Fonua. From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 1, June 2001.
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Tuesday 30 January 2001

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
Bravo! for the gallant initiative of Masima Sefesi ‘Akau‘ola, the District Officer of Hihifo, Tongatapu, and Manu Tangi, the District Officer of Niuatoputapu, and to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet for their approval of a regulation to stop pigs from digging up the towns and villages in these districts. From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 15, no. 4, January 2001.
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Saturday 30 September 2000

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
The saying that one can’t see the wood for the trees, is so appropriate to our situation in Tonga today. It has been pointed out numerous times, and we can see it with our own eyes, that we are blessed with a good country, where the weather is hospitable, and the soil is so fertile that plants can grow even in the sand. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 15, no. 3, September 2000.
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Thursday 1 June 2000

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
While Tongans are being told that their economy is growing at a record pace, at the same time they are faced with the hard reality of the declining value of their currency and the erosion of the foreign reserve. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 15, no. 2, June 2000.
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Monday 20 March 2000

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
Two important political issues that Tonga has to deal with as we are entering the new millennium, will not be resolved without heartache. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 15, no. 1, March 2000.
Wednesday 1 December 1999

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
Tonga will be the first country in the world to welcome the Year 2000, at the stroke of midnight on December 31, an hour ahead of any one else.
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Thursday 1 July 1999

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
This year government cut its Budget to pay for the retirement and holiday travelling of public servants. It was more important for government to keep the 4,500 public servants happy, than to allocate funds to boost exports and to prop up the value of the pa‘anga. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 14, no. 3, July 1999.
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Monday 31 May 1999

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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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Saturday 27 February 1999

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
There's no recovery in sight for Tonga’s continuing economic recession. The major players who could either toss the fish from the frying pan into the fire or onto the dinner table are the Tonga National Reserve Bank, the Treasury, the government ministries and the private sector. And the sooner that these players can function in unity, the sooner Tonga can start to pull ahead. Editor's Comment by Pesi Fonua. Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 14, no. 1, January 1999.
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Sunday 20 December 1998

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 26 September 1998

Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
With regards, to our declining economy, and the proposals that have been put forward for a recovery package, it appears that it will take a major crisis to turn these proposals into actions, because they are all tied up in a phenomena known in Tonga as, “fu‘u lahi ‘a e politiki”, or “too much politicking”. By Pesi Fonua. From Magazine Tonga Magazine Vol. 13, no. 3, October 1998.
Saturday 4 July 1998

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

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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