Four Constituency Reports of People Representatives from Vava’u, and Niuatoputapu and Niuafo’ou were passed by the House last week from 7-8 October. This year the constituencies budget allocation is the biggest ever at $250,000 for each of the 17 People’s Representatives.
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Results for Parliament
Monday 12 October 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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Tuesday 6 October 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Tongan Parliament yesterday 5 October with a majority vote of 16-0 passed a number of old Government Ministries Annual Reports, some going back to 2009, that had never been tabled into Parliament. Today, 6 September parliament sat for a half-day, because after lunch it did not have a quorum. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.
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Monday 5 October 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Prime Minister Hon. Dr Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa informed members of Parliament this morning that he would brief Parliament weekly on what government had achieved, before he released information to the media. Government will soon table into parliament a new Communication Offences Bill, “to address the misuse of social media”. From the House by Pesi Fonua.
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Monday 28 September 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
When Members of Parliament presented reports of their Constituency Tours to the Tongan Parliament last week, the Whole House Committee voted in favour of three reports but rejected one. Two of the reports stressed a need to amend Tonga's Electoral System.
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Tuesday 22 September 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A proposed Government Bill to amend Clause 89 of the Tongan Constitution, with an additional Clause 89A introducing "traditional culture", sparked off some vociferous exchanges in the Tongan Parliament yesterday, 21 September, but wording of the proposed amendment has not been released. Clause 89 gives judges the power to direct the form of indictments to control the procedure of the lower courts, and to make rules of procedure. However, the proposed change was not read out in the House and the Bill was not made available to the media.
From the House by Pesi Fonua.
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Monday 14 September 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's parliament has gone into recess again, after the Prime Minister withdrew 16 bills “to have another look” at them. The PM also told the House that Tonga’s State of Emergency to counter the Coronavirus Pandemic had been extended again from 12 September to 12 March 2021. From the House by Pesi Fonua
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Wednesday 9 September 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Losaline Ma'asi became the first woman parliamentarian to chair the Whole House Committee of the Tonga Legislative Assembly, this week. She was selected by the Speaker of the House Lord Fakafanua. A total of 18 Bills were tabled yesterday. From the House by Pesi Fonua
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Tuesday 8 September 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Tongan Parliament resumed its 2020 -2021 session yesterday, Monday 7 September, after deferring parliament several times since it passed the Annual Budget on 18 June. From the House by Pesi Fonua
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Tuesday 1 September 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Lord Fusitu’a has been re-elected, in absentia, as the Nobles' representative of Niuatoputapu and Niuafo’ou after a by-election was held at the Palace Office yesterday morning, 31 August. Lord Fusitu'a who suffered from failing health was evacuated to Auckland last year and remains in New Zealand.
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Tuesday 11 August 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
When the 17 People's Representatives and nine Nobles' Representatives embark on their parliamentary Constituency Tours next week, they will have a lot of money to spend. Each People's Representative gets $250,000 to spend on their constituents, and each Nobles' Representative will have $50,000 to share with the people in their estates. From the House by Pesi Fonua.
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Monday 10 August 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Lord Fusitu’a has lost his seat in parliament after a long absence from the Legislative Assembly since 5 August 2019. His seat for the Nobles' Representative of Niuatoputapu and Niuafo’ou has been declared vacant.
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Friday 17 July 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Two urgent bills to amend the Traffic Act and the Roads Act, as well as a Petition alleging unfairness in awarding government roads deals, stirred a few aggressive exchanges in the Tongan parliament on Monday and Tuesday this week. There was an objection that the urgent bills had not gone to the Standing Committee on Legislation before they were tabled.
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Thursday 16 July 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga'sParliament will remain closed until August 3, the House decided, voting unanimously 21-0 to extend parliament's closure for another two weeks from July 13. From the House by Pesi Fonua.
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Tuesday 30 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Tonga government’s plan to open its border for incoming passengers between New Zealand and Tonga this week is deferred, Prime Minister Hon. Rev. Pohiva Tu‘i‘onetoa told Members of Parliament yesterday, 29 June.
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Friday 26 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Parties involved in international business disputes can be certain that the arbitration awards will be enforced in Tonga, after the Kingdom became the 164th state to join the United Nation’s Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards (the New York Convention) on 12 June.
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Wednesday 24 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Six bills presented to the House by the former government in 2019 were withdrawn this week by the Prime Minister, further distancing himself from the work programme of the previous government. From the House by Pesi Fonua.
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Saturday 20 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Tongan Parliament yesterday 18 June, passed its $589.6 Million pa’anga national Budget for 2020-2021 with votes of 21-0. With Tonga’s biggest-ever deficit of $60 million, debate has been tense at times over the last two weeks. A 20 per cent salary cut for MPs, proposed by the PM, did not happen. From the House by Pesi Fonua
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Monday 15 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
In Parliament, the Committee of the Whole House on Thursday, 11 June passed the $166 million budget allocation of the Ministry of Finance for the 2020-21 Financial Year. From the House by Pesi Fonua.
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Wednesday 10 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A new Tonga National Security of Information Office that is currently being set up by the Prime Minister's Office, was questioned during debate on the $4.48 million budget allocation of the PMO for 2021 that was passed by the Committee of the Whole House in parliament yesterday, Tuesday 9 June. From the House by Pesi Fonua.
Friday 5 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga.
After the Tongan Parliament was, for seven days up to Thursday June 4, locked in a tense debate over the preliminary Budget Statement, the House introduced the National Budget and passed the first three vote allocations without any debate at all. The House approved $13.77 million for the running of the Legislative Assembly but the Speaker complained that they had not approved his request for funds to fix the leaking roof. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.
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