Results for Parliament

Tongan MPs in accepting an invitation to attend this Saturday’s Mate Ma‘a Tonga Rugby League test match in Auckland, New Zealand, are reportedly planning to spend up to $200,000 from the House budget to cover airfares and hotel accommodation for their weekend away.

The Prime Minister Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva warned parliament yesterday, 2 October, that hatred in the House against him and his government could escalate to a national upheaval. Lord Nuku responded that there was no hatred in the House, and they were debating a report of the Auditor General.

A claim by the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva that a property of Sea Star Ltd. at the Tu‘imatamoana Wharf had been sold for $3 million pa’anga and was now owned by a Chinese/Tongan, was questioned in parliament during debate on the Annual Report of the Ministry of Fisheries. But it appeared that the PM was mistaken. He later started talking about a $3 million loan to Sea Star during the time of Tupou V.

Tonga‘s Minister for Finance and National Planning, Hon. Pohiva Tu‘i‘onetoa, moved for the House to take two former Prime Ministers, Lord Sevele and Lord Tu’ivakano to court for the alleged misappropriation of government funds. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

There was tension in parliament yesterday morning when the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva burst out in anger over how, during his 31 years in politics, there had been attempts to “get rid of me”.

All 18 member states of the Pacific Islands Forum, including Tonga, have endorsed the “Boe Declaration” which reaffirms that climate change is the “single greatest threat” to the Pacific Region, in Nauru on Wednesday 5 September, the final day of the 49th PIF Leaders Meeting.

Prime Minister Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva is attracting world wide media attention after he made comments suggesting that Pacific Island leaders participate in a year long weight loss competition.

Tonga's Speaker of the House, Lord Fakafanua, is joining more than 60 parliamentarians from Australia and Pacific at a Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference held in Wellington this week.

Tongan’s biggest national budget of $659.3 million Pa’anga for the 2018-19 Financial Year was passed by the Tongan Parliament before midnight on Wednesday, 20 June. The Government’s major expenditure is the salaries of Civil servants, at 53.6% of Tonga’s Gross Domestic Product. The number of civil servants has increased tremendously since 2005, from 3500 to 5000. Some members were very concerned about a lack of detail in the Ministries budget allocations.