Kiliki heni This news in Tongan ke ke lau 'a e ongoongo ni 'i he lea faka-Tonga.
UPDATED: Tonga’s Friendly Islands Democratic Party has indicated it will not change its current MPs for Tongatapu constituencies when it announces its list of candidates for the November election.
The announcement came amid pressure from sitting party members this week for an announcement on who would stand for the Tongatapu 10 constituencies.
The Democratic Party named its seven outer islands candidates two weeks ago.
Speaking by telephone to Kaniva News, the Democratic Party’s newly elected Deputy Leader, ‘Isileli Pulu, said the Democratic Party lost the vote for the Tongan Prime Minister in 2010 because the Party made a ‘big mistake’ after it ditched one of its candidates shortly before the election.
He said the Democratic Party would release its list of candidates at the end of August, two months before the general election.
The Party currently holds 8 out of the 10 seats for Tongatapu constituencies in the House. As it stands it will only look for candidates to stand for Tongatapu 6 and Tongatapu 7. These two constituencies were represented in parliament by former party members Sangstar Saulala and Siosifa Tu'utafaiva. Saulala was dismissed by the party and Tu'utafaiva resigned after they both took up ministerial posts in the government of Lord Tu'ivakano.
Local newspapers in Tonga and the New Zealand Tongan Development Society proposed their own Democratic Party proposed candidates for the election.
Democratic Party Leader ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s Kele’a newspaper proposed replacing some current Party MPs, including Dr Sitiveni Halapua for Tongtapu 3, Sione Havea Taione for Tongatapu 8, Falisi Tupou for Tongatapu 9 and Semisi Tapueluelu for Tongatapu 10 as well as the ‘Eua MP, Sunia Fili.
The New Zealand Tongan Development Society said it would support those MPs who were loyal to the Party after two members, Sangastar Saulala and Siosifa Tu’utafaiva, defected to the government of PM Lord Tu’ivakano.
Some party MPs were accused of plotting to support Dr Sitiveni Halapua rather than Leader ‘Akilisi Pohiva as the party's candidate for the Prime Minister in 2012.
Pulu said the party interviewed the accused MPs, but found no evidence that the media allegations against them were true. He said that if the party dropped five of its current MPs they could defect to some other new parties in the election.
“If their constituents re-elect them to Parliament in the November election it will backfire on the party as they will become its opponents in the House,” he said.
“We will lose the vote for the premiership and the party will end up in chaos.”
During the 2010 election campaign a rift developed within the Party between its leader, ‘Akilisi Pohiva, and ‘Eua MP Sunia Fili. It widened to the point where Fili publicly announced he would quit the Party and ran as an independent candidate.
In an attempt to defeat Fili in the election the party announced it would no longer work with him. Democratic supporters also called on Fili’s constituents to vote him out, but Fili was re-elected to Parliament.
Fili accepted the post of Finance Minister in Lord Tu’ivakano’s government.
In the Parliamentary vote for the premiership after the 2010 general election, Fili moved for Lord Tu’ivakano to be a candidate. Lord Tu’ivakano defeated Pohiva in the vote.
Deputy Pulu said the Democratic Party lost the premiership vote because the timing of the announcement by the Party and the call for Fili’s constituency to vote him out in 2010 election was badly timed.
Tonga’s political system
The political party system does not exist in Tonga. Political analysts say Tonga’s current political system was designed to have all members of parliament represent the whole country with no formal opposition party.
Critics says the system was intended to give greater power to the king and the nobles and that claims it was a democracy were misleading as the current government represents a minority because of the disproportionate power of the nobles.
The Friendly Island Democratic Party, led by Leader ‘Akilisi Pohiva, was established in September 2010 to unite candidates who later became MPs and who were supporters of Pohiva in his attempt to have the government democratically run by the people.
Tonga’s new political system, which was implemented in 2010, introduced an electoral system comprised of two electorates: the hereditary land-holding nobles, plus nine Life Peers (honorary Nobles), who elect nine hereditary Nobles;
The rest of the population of Tonga – about 100,000 people – elect 17 representatives, 10 of them on the main island, Tongatapu.
According to Tonga’s constitution a general election is held every four years, after which the elected parliamentarians elect the Prime Minister.
The main points
- Tonga’s Democratic Party has indicated it will not change its current MPs for Tongatapu constituencies when it announces its list of candidates for the November election.
- The announcement came amid pressure from sitting party members this week for an announcement on who would stand for the Tongatapu 10 constituencies.
- The Democratic Party named its seven outer islands candidates two weeks ago.
- The Party’s newly elected Deputy Leader, ‘Isileli Pulu said the Democratic Party would release its list of candidates at the end of August, two months before the general election.
For more information
Tonga: Constitution and politics
