Results for Parliament

Our political reform will not be completed without Judiciary Independence. His Majesty wants to preserve His privileges to appoint and dismiss justices. This is an egregious breach of democratic principles: The Constitution must be amended to remove those privileges from His Majesty's Executive power. - Sione Akemeihakau Mokofisi.

Chief Justice Anthony Ford during his last day in office on August 13 stressed the importance of ensuring the independence of the Tongan judiciary.

As president of the Tonga Law Society, I wish to express my serious concern about the approval by Privy Council of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to inquire into reports that Government has attempted unduly to influence the independence of the judiciary, as conveyed in a media release of the Prime Minister's Office on 5 August 2010.- Laki Niu, President, Tonga Law Society, 11 August 2010

Kuo tau fo'i hono 'eke'i e fakamatala pa'anga 'a hai mo e kautaha 'a hai, kae lilo pe 'a e FIHDRM. 'Ai mai ke tau 'ilo pea ke 'ilo ki ai e kakai kae ma'a e ngaue. Pea kuo toki mahino mai e lanu totonu e kautaha ni, ta 'oku 'ikai ko e ako'i mo taukave'i e totonu 'a e tangata ka ko e faha'i fakapolitikale 'a e ki'i ni'ihi tokosi'i. - Samiu Sika.

A reform bill that will allow an independent commission to set the salaries of members of parliament, before it was passed this month, met stiff resistance in the House from members who have long enjoyed setting their own salaries.

Farewell pay-off? Shame on you! If MPs were paid 10 times the per capita income of the average Tongan citizen, that would only amount to half of what they are being paid now. In other words, MPs are now making at least 20 times the per capita income. And for what? - P. A. Langi.

When I lamented for "God help us" I did not mean for the Chair of the House to seek divine interventions to sort out the mess of our parliament. For forgiveness from God is conditional on the ground that, "for they know not what they have done". In this sort of human affairs such as politics, the godly part is to ask for Courage of heart and mind to make a presentation to His Majesty Tupou V to Dissolve Parliament as soon as the budget vitiation is finished. - 'Inoke Fotu Hu'akau.

A nine-members Standing Committee of the Tongan Legislative Assembly was formed on June 17 to investigate People's Representative 'Akilisi Pohiva for allegedly lying in parliament on June 15.

The principles of mode of operation for democratic form of government such as transparency, accountability, fair distribution of power and check-and-balance were all taken out of the reform agenda in the last five years. The reform agenda has been dominated by the PRs quest for power. When power is all that you strive for, the only way to succeed is to sacrifice the other principles of democracy as mentioned. The people of Tonga well deserved a public apology from its parliament. - 'Inoke Fotu Hu'akau.