Results for Parliament

A Bill to increase the government expenditure for the 2012-13 financial year by more than $4.1 million pa'anga was passed by the Tongan parliament this afternoon, including $305,000 to meet extra expenses of the House. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

'Akilisi Pohiva's talk of laying criminal charges against the Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano for allegedly misappropriating millions of government funds, caused a stir in Tonga's parliament this morning. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.

After putting it off for a month, Tonga's parliament today rejected a Motion for a Vote of no Confidence in the Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano and his cabinet.

Tonga's Minister of Education in parliament is calling for 'Akilisi Pohiva to apologise to the New Zealand Government, to herself and to the Tongan people for making misleading and unfounded allegations about the donor funding received by the Ministry of Education. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

After spending a month arguing over the report of a parliamentary select committee on how the former government spent a $119 million loan from China on the reconstruction of Nuku'alofa, after it was destroyed in riots on 16 November 2006, Tonga's parliament now simply does not know what to do with the report. From the House by Pesi Fonua

Tonga's Attorney General, Neil Adsett, said that a Parliamentary Select Committee that investigated the use of a multi million loan from China for the restructuring of Nuku'alofa had done a good job, but its report had no real finding of any person taking money they should not have had, or using money for themselves or against the interest of Tonga. But the Attorney General's freely expressed opinion has upset the Select Committee's chairman, 'Akilisi Pohiva.

Since Monday, September 10, the Tongan Parliament has been trying to decide what to do with a new motion by the Minister of Justice, Hon. Clive Edwards for a parliamentary select committee to go and find out why protesters burned the Nuku'alofa Central Business District on 16 November 2006. Clive's new motion riled up emotional and aggressive comments from members of the House who reminded him that there were court cases and they had got off, but if he wanted to go back to the past they might get caught this time. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.

Difficulties over the Tongan and English interpretations of the Tongan Constitution had the House in an uproar last week. There was a clash of strong opinions when it was discovered that the Tongan Clause 8 stopped short of spelling out the public's right to petition the passing or the repealing of enactments, as stated in the English version. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.

Tonga's parliament today decided to defer their deliberation on a Vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister for one month from today. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.