Results for Government

The Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva, made conflicting statements about Tonga’s political reform and the administration of law and order in the country this week, during his latest bid to take over executive powers that were given by parliament to the Privy Council under Constitutional changes in 2010. - By Pesi Fonua.

The reasoning behind the Tongan Parliament's urgent push to work seven hours overtime on the 8th and 12th March in order to pass five bills that don’t address Tonga’s immediate Cyclone Recovery needs, remains a mystery to the public and some Members of Parliament. Three of the five bills grant the Reserve Bank more control over moneylenders while the two other bills regard foreign exchange levies and Pacific Games taxation incentives.

Lord Ma’afu Tukui’aulahi resigned as Tonga’s Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, as well as the Minister responsible for His Majesty’s Armed Forces this afternoon, 2 March.

Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. 'Akilisi Pohiva is back in Tonga, after travelling to New Zealand on February 5 for medical check-ups following an illness. "I'm fine!" he told Matangi Tonga this morning. Parliament will meet tomorrow at a central location to be decided.

The two Cabinet portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Defence have been reallocated, with the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva as Foreign Affairs, and Lord Ma’afu as the Minister of His Majesty’s Armed Forces, according to a Press Statement from the Prime Minister's Office yesterday, 20 January.

Tonga’s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the third time tonight, Monday, 15 January 2018, in Geneva. The UN in the Pacific is encouraging Tonga to continue constitutional reform and amendments "to widen the country's democratic space and respect for human rights."

Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. 'Akilisi Pohiva remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Vaiola Hospital, where he is being treated for a what is understood to be a temporary ailment acquired last week. Medical authorities said his condition was stable this morning.

News that the Prime Minister Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva has submitted a list of the names of his 12 new Cabinet Ministers, including himself, was circulated on the internet today. However, at the end of the day, the Prime Minister’s Office in Nuku'alofa could not officially confirm the new line-up.

A "Tax Week" was held for the first time in Tongatapu on October 16-22, under the theme, Revenue From The Community, For The Community.