Results for Parliament

The Tongan parliament closed early on Tuesday, September 16, after a heated quarrel broke out between the Tongatapu No. 1 People's Representative, 'Akilisi Pohiva, and the Vava'u No. 2 People's Representative, 'Etuate Lavulavu.

The Tonga Government’s Budget for 2003-04 of $156.2 million is the highest ever, and it is $37.5 million more than last year’s $118.7 million budget. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 2, August 2003.

The Tongan way of life is not based in the right of the individual but that of the extended family, the church and the whole country. We have a collective peoples value, and that is where our strength is, and we do not want to give that up, says ‘Alisi Taumoepeau, Tonga’s Solicitor General. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 2, August 2003.

The proposed amendment to the Tongan Constitution Clause 7- Freedom of Speech would replace the existing Clause 7 if government succeeds in passing it through the Legislature. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 2, August 2003.

Why did government decide to prohibit the import of the 14 year old Taimi ‘o Tonga in February? If the politics of the campaigning newspaper wasn’t the real issue, as government spokespeople were claiming, we asked, then what was? From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 1, March 2003.

The Vava‘u no. 2 People’s Representative, ‘Etuate Lavulavu, is another Member of Parliament who feels that the government’s Economic and Public Sector Reform Program will never work, unless the people are included in the decision-making process. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

Tonga’s Prime Minister announced on February 14 that there was a serious turn in Tonga’s relationship with New Zealand in the wake of unsubstantiated accusations made by New Zealand’s foreign ministry. The Prime Minister Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata believed that a New Zealand Ministerial attack which ridiculed the Tongan government and Tonga’s Royal family was an attempt to influence Tonga’s March General Election, and “to take the moral high ground, to say they are holier than us, and to dictate to other countries what New Zealand wants”. Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata was responding to the accusations at a press conference he called in Nuku‘alofa. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 1, May 2002.

While the new Kotoa Movement, formed last year, sees itself as a non-political charity organisation, they also say their movement is working toward thwarting any uprising which could disrupt development. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 1, May 2002.

Tongans responded with shock and outrage after the New Zealand Foreign Ministry publicly accused the Tongan government of corruption, expressing concern about the state of democracy in the country and saying that the Tongan government appeared reluctant to introduce constitutional changes. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 1, May 2002.