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.
You are here
Results for Opinion
Saturday 30 June 2001
Premium content
Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
Premium content
Tuesday 30 January 2001
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Saturday 30 September 2000
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Thursday 1 June 2000
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Monday 20 March 2000
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Wednesday 1 December 1999
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Thursday 1 July 1999
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Monday 31 May 1999
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Saturday 27 February 1999
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Sunday 20 December 1998
Premium content
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.
Premium content
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
Premium content
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.
Premium content
Monday 27 April 1998
Premium content
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.
Premium contentPages
Tonga weather forecast from yr.no, delivered by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the NRK. See also Fua'amotu Weather Forecasting Center, Tonga, for latest local weather bulletin.