The new government had been urged to hold the previous administration responsible by conducting an audit of its services.
MP Dr Taniela Fusimālohi, a staunch supporter of the Prime Minister Designate, Dr ‘Aisake Eke, recently said in the House that the audit will ensure transparency and accountability in managing public funds.
He mentioned the former government’s annual budgets as an area of focus for the auditor.
The former Hu’akavameiliku government’s involvement in the national airlines was accused of “secrecy” surrounding its decision-making.
This criticism persisted despite the former Prime Minister providing responses and clarifications to most allegations against him in Parliament, the media, and during his two Motions of Confidence Vote.
However, one of the issues he appeared to have failed to provide a satisfactory response pertains to the Australian $2 million grant his government had allocated to buy the Lulutai’s Twin Otter aircraft last year.
The Prime Minister Elect, Dr Eke and MP Dr Fusimālohi believed the money should not have been used to buy the aircraft.
They previously quizzed the Prime Minister in Parliament about the grant.
At one stage, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Seventeen Toumo’ua intervened and claimed that the fund was specifically granted to assist in purchasing the Lulutai’s Twin Otter aircraft.
According to Hansard number 29 of 2023 the Minister said in Tongan:
“ko e 2 miliona ko eni na’e ‘omai ‘e ‘Asitelēlia ko e ‘omai hangatonu ia ki he vakapuna”.
In English, he said: “The 2 million fund was directly granted by Australia for the aircraft”.
However, the information later provided by the former Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, Rachel Moore, about the grant didn’t seem to be the case.
Kaniva News recently obtained a copy of a letter purported to provide Moore’s responses to MP Fusimālohi after he sought clarification on the grant.
Ms Moore said:
“In 2023 Australia provided elevated levels of direct budget support to the Government of Tonga to support economic recovery following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami and COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Tonga allocates Australian general budget support at its discretion”.
Ms Moore’s response did not mention that the grant of $2 million was specifically intended to support the purchase of the Twin Otter.
She also clarified other assistance the Australian government had provided to Tonga.
She said: “We appreciate the Government of Tonga’s assessment of the importance of reliable domestic aviation connectivity to economic recovery as well as service delivery. Australia has provided support to Tonga’s aviation sector since mid-2022, including through the wet- lease arrangement between Lulutai Airlines and Fiji Airways to operate regular domestic flights from January to May 2023. Australia has also funded training for Lulutai pilots and engineers and for air traffic controllers from Tonga Airports Limited. Australia continues to work with Lulutai to develop a long-term sustainable business plan and to improve corporate functions and the airline’s reservations and sales systems.”
The question remains: will Dr Eke’s government review Lulutai Airlines and the use of the Australian grant?
The opposition had brought up the grant issue in Parliament in the 2023 Motion of No Confidence against Hu’akavameiliku. They had been concerned at the government’s apparent misleading the House that it was intended for the Lulutai’s Twin Otter purchase. The former Prime Minister had no response.
