Results for Parliament

On their first day of sitting after the opening of parliament the House pledged its support to the king in a Letter of Reply to the Speech from the Throne. After that all the members received $2000 laptops, but some members complained that they didn’t know how to use computers. The Prime Minister adjourned the sitting so they could all go and whine outside. From the House, a translation and summary of parliament. Minute no. 4, June 7, 2011. By Pesi Fonua.

Following the opening of the first session of Tonga's reformed parliament on June 2, a committee met today to form a reply to the Speech from the Throne made by King George Tupou V.

The historical opening of the first session of Tonga's newly reformed parliament will be held tomorrow Thursday, June 2 with a state opening by King George Tupou V, including the fanfare of brass bands and marching students that will be missed by the Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano.

THE British Government donated over $80,000 pa'anga worth of law books and computer equipment to the Supreme Court of Tonga in Nuku'alofa on Thursday, April 28.

A petition filed to government by 150 police officers who were unhappy with police reforms, was sent back to them by the Tongan Cabinet on March 25, because the petitioners did not follow the processes available to them under the law.

Tonga's new Police Commissioner Chris Kelley said in a statement today that he had not seen a petition regarding police reforms that was presented to Cabinet on Friday March 11; and he believed that change to merit-based promotion and other changes to a new Police Act, "may be at the 'heart' of these perceived grievances".

Tonga's new government so urgently needed two bills to be passed to boost the capacity of the Tongan judiciary that the Tongan parliament had to work overtime to pass them on January 14. But nearly a month later the two are still awaiting the king's consent.

Tonga's Royal Land Commission is on the final phase of its three-year work program to inquire into and review Tonga's existing Land Acts and practices, with the continuation of a wide range of public hearings in Tonga this month and in Australia in March.

The dire state of the Tongan economy was presented to the House at its first meeting on Friday January 14, when the new Minister of Finance Hon. Sunia Fili told the House that during the past six months government had collected only 46% of the revenue it expected. From the House, by Pesi Fonua