Results for Opinion

Ko e me'a mahu'inga taha pe ki he kakai mo e fonua ke tau faaitaha, fakakaukau taha, pea ngaue fakataha. He 'ikai pe ke lava ke tau fai ha me'a 'okapau 'oku 'ikai ke tau lototaha, fakakaukau taha, pea mo ngaue fakataha. Ko e founga pe eni 'e taha te tau toki lava ai 'o fakalakalaka pea langa hake ai hotau ki'i fonua. - Viliami Naulu

“Air Chatham starts domestic service.” This is great news but will Air Chatham also fly to Niuatoputapu? - Peki Matheson

Ko e loto totonu 'o e tangata ia ke ma'u ha totongi lahi taha, kae 'ikai ke fai ha hela hono ngaue'i. Pea ko e ta'u 'e tolu 'eku hoko ko e tokoni pule ki he Custom Division 'a e Pule'anga Amerika Ha'amoa ne u ako ai e ngaahi tefito'i 'ulungaanga ko'eni mei a kinautolu 'oklu hu koloa mei Tu'apule'anga ki Pago Pago. Ko e tefito'i fakakaukau mo e faka'amu 'oku fakafekiki'i, tatau pe 'ehe kau Pisinisi mo e taautaha, ko e feinga lahi ke humai 'enau koloa kae 'oua totongi ha ha tute ia ki he Pule'anga. - Sione Lousiale Kava

I am the Chief Scientist onboard the Research Vessel (R/V) Kilo Moana. I am writing to correct a misrepresentation in your piece "First phase of Tonga mineral exploration begins" which appeared in the 26 March 2008 issue of Matangi Tonga. - Fernando Martinez

Now that the PM has decided to retain the Minister of Tourism in Cabinet, the government's spin doctors have their work cut out for them when international good governance watchdogs issue their reports on Tonga towards the end of this year and early next year. I imagine Tonga will continue to retain its ranking, or worse, on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index - in 2007 it ranked 175 out of 180 countries. It will reflect how the government is viewed from outside - in this case, very corrupt. If the government insists that this is unfounded, let it be more transparent in its decisions and see if the TICPI will improve. I can also imagine the the US State Department's Tonga 2008 Human Rights Report saying . . . "public officials were usually corrupt and get away with it" and this would be an accurate statement, as we have witnessed in this case of the Prime Minister exonerating the Minister of Tourism from any wrongdoing. - Tupou Finau

I am proud to say that the Hon. Minister of Tourism Fineasi Funaki is my tokoua since our late paternal grandmothers were sisters. I wish I had the opportunity to give him a brotherly advise that could have prevented the issues at hand. My advice would have been to deposit the check in the department's account and loan the department the amount they needed from his own personal account to expedite the availability of the petty cash funds. - ‘Aisea Tu‘ikolovatu

Ko e me'a malie foki ko e felafoaki he 'oku ma'u ai 'a e ngaahi fakakaukau fo'ou mo e ngaahi faka'uhinga kehe kehe 'o hange koia kuo fai ki ai e lave' 'a ia ko e fakaanga'i mo poupu'i 'a e fakamaau kuo fai 'e he PM. 'Oku ou poupou 100% ki he tu'utu'uni kuo fakahoko' he 'oku 'osi 'i ai pe 'a e konisenisi 'o e tangata takitaha ke ne 'ilo pe na'e faihala pe 'ikai pea 'oku tau'ataaina pe 'a e tangata koia ke fakafisi pe 'ikai kapau 'oku tukuange ki ai ke fili pe 'e fakafisi. - Siosaia Moimoiangaha

In regard to your article, "Tongan Cabinet Minister ordered to work in bondage " on March 20 2008, one of the reasons why the Prime Minister is ordering Hon. Fineasi Funaki " to work without pay for three months " is that " his practice was illegal." - Siosaia Fatani

The controversial 'Hu Loiifi' we recently witness is only a direct product of the current political force that swallows up the Kingdom. We were contributing directly or not to the circumstances that made that ancient ritual to pop up in our contemporary way of life, belief and time. Most of us obviously have different in ideas and of course entitle to a point of view on the issue, but I like to draw our attention to the very factors of intention that made the recent so-called 'Hu Louifi' happen. - Kris Halatokoua