Public Service Association boss Mele âAmanaki has accused Democrat supporters of writing swear words in her petition for an investigation into Prime Minister âAkilisi PÅhiva and six other ministers.
She said these swear words had been signed as names of petitioners on her petition.
Meanwhile, there were complaints on Facebook by some concerned Tongans who said the names of dead family members appeared as signatures on the petition.
Amanaki said they would launch a complaint with the host of the online petition website to investigate those people who abused her petition.
She said anyone who signed the online petition registered their email addresses with the website.
âI can get [them] to verify who emailed over,â she said.
Amanaki was commenting in response to a post on Facebook by Tnews producer and reporter SÄtita Tuâiâonetoa in which she had tagged Kaniva Tonga editor, Kalino LÄtÅ«.
Tuâiâonetoa said in Tongan: ââ¦Koe âelito oe Tohi tangii ke fk hifo ae PM moe kau Minisita e toko 7 he kuo hala enau fkhoko fatongia.â
This translates into English as: ââ¦the crux of the Petition was to overthrow the PM and seven other ministers because they did things which were wrong in their responsibility.â
In response ‘Amanaki wrote in Tongan: âMaloo Setita [Tuâiâonetoa]. Kataki toe fanongo lelei pea toki lipooti Na’e ‘ikai toko 8 na’e launga’i pea na’e ikai kau e Palemia he launga’ii koe kau Minisitaa kotoa peâ¦â
This translates into English as : âThank you Setita. Please listen carefully before you report. The petition was not against 8 (ministers) and there was no complaint against the Prime Minister it was just all against ministers only.â
âAmanakiâs response surprised Tuâiâonetoa, Kaniva News and some critics last night who followed Tuâionetoaâs comment.
âDid I say 8?â Tuâiâonetoa replied.
She also asked in Tongan whether the petition was changed to remove the name of the Prime Minister.
âThatâs funny,â Tuâiâonetoa said in Tongan.
Kaniva news asked ‘Amanaki to clarify her comment.
âAmanaki responded by listing in Tongan the names of the ministers she complained about as:
(i) MinisitÄ Ako & Ako NgÄue mÄlÅlÅ´, MinisitÄ Fakalotofonua mÄlÅlÅ´, MinisitÄ ki Muli´ moe MinisitÄ ki he Komisoni âa e NgÄue Fakapuleâanga´ (Samuela âAkilisi PÅhiva),
(ii) MinisitÄ e Ngaahi PotungÄue Lalahi´ & Takimamata´ (Semisi Sika),
(iii) MinisitÄ Paâanga´ (PÅhiva Tuâiâonetoa),
(iv) MinisitÄ Ako & Ako NgÄue´ (Penisimani Fifita),
(v) MinisitÄ Polisi´ mo e MinisitÄ Tukuhau & Kasitomu´ (MÄteni Tapueluelu),
(vi) MinisitÄ Lao´ & Pilisone (Sione Vuna Faâotusia), mo e
(vii) MinisitÄ Fefakatauâaki´, âIlo Foâou´ & Ngaahi NgÄue âa e Kakai´ (Tevita Tuâi Uata).
The list named Hon PÅhiva with his titles as former Minister of Education, Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for the Public Service Commission and not as a Prime Minister.
The list shows seven ministers altogether including Hon PÅhiva.
âAmanaki appeared to have avoided referring to Hon PÅhiva as Prime Minister when she responded to Tuâiâonetoa on Facebook for reasons that are still unclear.
But critics quickly accused her of being unable to make up her mind.
One critic said that from the beginning of the petition campaign ‘Amanaki mentioned Hon Pohiva as Prime Minister as one of those she petitioned to be investigated and now she said he was not.
âWe have âtaken offâ names in swear words which was entered by PTOA (Paati Temokalati âOtumotu Angaâofa - The Friendly Islands Democratic Party) supporters and we have asked the petition website to follow up with the email addresses to find out who had provided those names and will give them to you to look at hhhhhâ¦they are just PTOA,â ‘Amanaki said.
The petition was strongly backed by unsuccessful parliamentary candidates and some de facto Democrat MPs.
The petition was tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
It alleged the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues breached the constitution.
The petition asks that an audit be carried out on some government department’s budgets from 2015 until now.
It also proposes the impeachment of six Cabinet Ministers, including Hon PÅhiva.
For more information
PSA head rebuts Kele’a newspaper’s attacks as petition to investigate Cabinet submitted