The government of Tonga is considering pulling out of the Miss Pacific Islands beauty pageant for good, according to the chief executive officer of the Ministry of Tourism.
The move follows the revelation that the Solomon Islands government is exploring avenues to determine whether it can initiate legal proceedings against the Samoan head judge responsible for overseeing the competition, lawyer Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt.
It comes after this year’s regional contest winner was awarded to Miss Samoa Litara Ieremia Allan.
Miss Tonga Racheal Guttenbeil was awarded first runner-up.
However, the announcement of the results was promptly met with controversy.
Mā‘ata Mo‘ungaloa Tupou, a former Tongan Miss Pacific Islands queen and one of the judges, raised concerns with Brunt regarding potential irregularities in the judging results, which she suspected had been manipulated.
Brunt denied involvement in the alleged rigging of the outcome and said he wanted to clear his reputation.
A report by Samoa Observer mentioned Brunt as saying, “That speculation and gossip regarding the rigging of the outcomes were unfounded.”
However, Solomon Islands Home Affairs Minister Junior Isikeli Vave told RNZ Pacific that he initially considered letting the matter go, but as more allegations surfaced, he decided to intervene.
“I witnessed everything happening that night,” he said, adding that “the crowd could see; their reaction indicated that something was amiss.”
He said that after the results were announced, everyone got up and left disappointed.
“I discovered that the votes had been tampered with,” Vave said.
“However, on Monday, 10 February, the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant director and committee met with the Solomon Islands Pageant committee to recount the votes, and found that Miss Samoa had won by 12 points, ahead of Miss Tonga, that were not accounted for the previous night”.
Vave said that a spreadsheet used by the scrutineers recorded the votes, indicating that Miss Samoa had points deducted.
He said that he had spoken with the Solomon Islands’ chief legal advisor about providing physical evidence for the case to press charges against Leiataualesa.
Tonga withdrawal
Viliami Takau, the Chief Executive Officer of Tonga Tourism, told Kaniva News that Tonga is considering withdrawing from the competition and may decide against future participation following reports of the alleged incidents.
In Tongan he said: “’Oku iai pe fkkaukau lahi pe e toe kau atu a Tonga ki he fe’auhi ni hili e ngaahi me’a na’e hoko”.
He also said that beginning next year, Tonga will assess the possibility of participating in an alternative competition.
“Mahalo nai ‘oku fkpotopoto ange ke tau kii maloloo mei he ta’u fo’ou ‘o toe kii vakai ange ha fe’auhi ‘e taha pe ki ha taimi e maau ai”.
When asked if Tonga supports the Solomon Islands pursuing legal action following the allegations, he said it is ultimately up to the Solomon government, as they were the host country.
He said the Tonga Tourism Board provided Miss Tonga with financial assistance totalling TOP$50,000 during the Pacific beauty pageant.
The fund covered the costs of travel tickets, clothing, and related necessities.
Samoa competition
Meanwhile, Brunt reportedly said he wanted the hosting of the Miss Pacific Islands competition to be returned to Samoa permanently.
“The pageant belongs to Samoa,” he told Samoa Observer.
“Currently, it returns to Samoa every three years, but that should change. This is a tourism event initiated by Samoa, and our tourism sector should benefit consistently. By hosting it permanently in Samoa, we can ensure stability in planning, execution, and overall quality. We have the resources, experienced personnel, and businesses to make it a success.”
