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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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Monday 1 December 1997

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A constitutional monarchy as a system of government has been serving Tonga since 1875 making it the oldest government in the South Pacific Islands region. It has also been recognised as the most stable government in the region. But recently this 122-year-old system of government has come under pressure both from outside and from within the kingdom for some fundamental changes. FROM OUR ARCHIVES by Pesi Fonua.

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