COMMENT: The delays in the Cabinet appointment have resulted in Prime Minister Eke losing a crucial month of operation since the public service began on January 6.
The nation is currently awaiting the appointment of the Cabinet lineup, which was anticipated yesterday. However, this has yet to occur.
Meanwhile, the new government faces another significant challenge as it is expected to navigate the complexities of the current budget, which the previous administration structured.
Most of these budget allocations do not align with the new administration’s policies and priorities, creating a gap between their ambitious plans and the financial framework they inherit.
Eke, a finance and economic expert, was instrumental in criticizing the current budget when it was introduced into the House before it was approved in June last year.
As a standard practice, Tonga’s annual budget must be approved by the House in June for the period from July until June of the following year.
The Parliament usually closes in November.
So, the remaining time means Eke needs to squeeze 12 months it supposes to prepare and implement the budget to less than just 10 months. This means he can only fully enforce his policies within about five months, from July to November.
As a result, the new government must be very busy finding ways to either adapt the existing budget to better suit its objectives or devise a set of new financial initiatives.
However, these proposed measures are anticipated to encounter significant pushback from the Opposition bench within the House, which may complicate implementation of the government’s plans and hinder progress on key priorities.
Royal appointments
Under the constitution, the king is required to appoint Cabinet Ministers upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
However, this procedure has now been increasingly shown to pose challenges to the efficient functioning of the government.
The monarch appears to have exercised his constitutional authority in a manner that undermines the Prime Minister’s prerogative to select his Cabinet lineup independently.
This action constitutes a significant affront to the principles of democracy and compromises the autonomy of a Prime Minister who has been duly elected by the majority of the House.
Tonga’s 2010 political reform meant that the king would rule under the prime minister’s advice, not vice versa.
The late King George V, who was instrumental in implementing the democratic reforms, indicated in an interview with a New Zealand journalist in 2008 that these reforms necessitated a transfer of executive power from the monarchy to the populace.
He was asked during the interview about his role as a monarch under this new democratic system.
As part of his response, King George V said:
“The difference in future is that I shall not be able to exercise any of my powers at will. All sovereign powers must be exercised solely on the advice of the Prime Minister on most things and in the traditional matters, the law lords”.
Lack of transparency
Eke has faced significant criticisms lately due to his insufficient communication about the developments in his meetings aimed at nominating his Cabinet lineup.
Observers have expressed concern that the public remains largely in the dark about the decisions and the rationale behind them, fostering a sense of distrust and frustration among constituents seeking transparency in the governmental process.
Many have called for more regular updates and more precise explanations of the selection criteria and discussions taking place during these important meetings.
Critics have expressed concerns regarding Eke’s genuine commitment to his transparency policy. They particularly noted that the Members of Parliament who supported his candidacy in the premiership election identified this policy in the media as a fundamental element in the review of government ministries, especially the outgoing Cabinet.
One significant challenge Eke encounters is the need to unify the MPs of his political faction. The fact that they are a mixture of people’s independently elected MPs and noble MPs not chosen by the constituents presents a significant issue for Eke.
The difficulty of dealing with this diverse composition has proven to be a barrier in the past, especially its lack of legally binding provisions within the legislation. This hampers Eke’s ability to achieve timely agreements and complicates his efforts to address the diverse interests of all his MPs.
