As Tonga’s people gathered for its first national development summit in Nuku’alofa this week, Akilisi Pōhiva’s daughter, Teisa Cokanasiga, stressed the importance of discussing the country’s political structure as a priority.
The consultation brought together over 200 representatives at the Fa‘onelua Convention Center to evaluate the nation’s development progress under the Tonga Strategic Development Framework 2015-2025 and create strategies for 2026-2036.
The fakataha fakafonua (national summit) is open to the public under the theme “A Resilient Tonga through Transformative Action: Safeguarding Our Heritage.”
Cokanasiga told the meeting that Tonga could continue pursuing its development plans; however, at some point, these efforts would stall due to constitutional limitations—an argument advocated by her father.
The late Akilisi Pōhiva, a longtime democratic activist, was instrumental in Tonga’s transition to democracy and served as one of the country’s democratically elected Prime Ministers before he died in 2020.
He maintained that economic development would be ineffective unless Tonga’s political structure allowed the executive branch to operate under the parliament, with all MPs elected by the people.
Cokanasiga, a lawyer by profession, told the summit that while discussions on good governance are productive at the grassroots level, they often face challenges when addressed at the elite level.
She cited former Prime Minister Hu‘akavameiliku as an example. He resigned as Minister of His Majesty’s Armed Forces after receiving a letter from the king expressing a loss of confidence in his duties. Cokanasiga highlighted that Hu‘akavameiliku stepped down without clarity on the king’s reasons, underscoring the need for transparency and accountability in governance.
At the meeting, Cokanasiga spoke directly to Prime Minister Eke and suggested that it was about time the government reviewed the political reforms.
“The structure of the government is brought to life (“fakamānava’i”) and sustained by the constitution, which serves as its foundation and guiding framework”, Mrs Cokanisiga said in Tongan.
She mentioned the Constitutional Lawyer’s review, which stated deficiencies in the 2010 constitution and democratic reforms.
According to the Peter Pursglove report, which was endorsed by the Tu’ivakanō government in 2014:
Tonga’s 2010 constitution does not uphold democracy
The Privy Council lacks any democratic composition or accountability
The judiciary lacks accountability and transparency.
Changes to the judiciary are inefficient, ineffective, unaffordable and possibly illegal.
No public discussions were held regarding the reforms to the judiciary or why they were considered necessary.
“The present Constitution of Tonga can lay claim to being the most poorly structured and drafted Constitution of any Country in the Commonwealth,” the report says.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cokanisiga has made an essential point that the government should take heed of. The government needs to implement Mr Pursglove’s report, as he has identified significant shortfalls in our constitution. Ignoring these issues means we are wasting time and money on a summit to create economic plans that will struggle to succeed under an inadequate constitution.
The most notable examples are the last two governments. One created policies that allocated $400 million to road construction projects. Unfortunately, many roads were damaged and became unbeneficial for the country. There were accusations of corruption and nepotism surrounding this project.
The Hu’akavameiliku government, on the other hand, insisted on investing nearly $40 million, according to the Minister of Public Enterprises, in the national airlines, fully aware that it was unlikely to be a profitable venture for the government. The weak political system and our flawed constitution create loopholes allowing such disasters. And it will continue to occur until we fix the constitution.
