This story was originally appeared on TVNZ and is republished with permission.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has shared a message of congratulations for US President Elect Joe Biden on his victory over Donald Trump.
Source: Photo by Mark Tantrum
Biden was declared victorious after successfully flipping his hometown state of Pennsylvania this morning, giving him enough electoral seats to surpass the required 270.
Ardern says she looks forward to strengthening the ties between both nations in the coming years.
“There are many challenges in front of the international community right now, the message of unity from Joe Biden positions us well to take those challenges on.”
Noting Biden’s previous visits to New Zealand in 2016, Jacinda Ardern says the win would allow for the two countries to closely on prominent issues like Covid-19 and climate change.
“New Zealand will continue to work side-by-side with the United States on the issues that matter to both of us, including the prosperity, security, and sustainability in the Indo-Pacific and Pacific Island regions.”
Ardern also took a moment to share her thoughts on the departure of Trump, highlighting the work both nations have done together, particularly on issues regarding the Pacific.
(The New York Post) – The state’s 20 electoral votes vaulted Joe Biden past the 270-vote threshold needed to take the White House. He leads in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. President Trump has vowed to file legal challenges.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. was elected president on his third try, after an extraordinary race in which he campaigned as an elder statesman seeking to restore civility to the nation. Credit…Erin Schaff/The New York Times
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joseph R. Biden Jr. was elected president of the United States on Saturday, defeating President Trump after campaigning on a promise to restore civility and stability to American politics and to expand the government’s role in guiding the country through the surging coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Biden, 77, who will become the 46th president and the oldest man ever sworn into the office, secured the needed 270 votes from the Electoral College after Pennsylvania was called for him, though the race was far closer than many Democrats, Republicans and pollsters had expected.
The result also provided a history-making moment for President-elect Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who became the first woman, and first woman of color, on a winning presidential ticket.
With his third run for the White House — after unsuccessful bids in 1988 and 2008, and after spending eight years as President Barack Obama’s vice president — Mr. Biden finally attained a goal that he has dreamed of for decades, capping a career in national politics that began with a victory in a 1972 Senate race here in Delaware. He was swept into office this year with the support of a diverse coalition of younger voters, older voters, Black Americans, and white college-educated voters, particularly women.
Mr. Biden’s triumph concluded an extraordinary election that was expected to set modern records for turnout, despite being held amid a pandemic that has upended life across the United States. More than 100 million Americans voted before Election Day as states sought to make voting safer, putting the nation on track for the largest turnout in a century once the final vote is tallied.
Mr. Biden also won the popular vote by nearly three percentage points, and, with more than 74 million votes, broke the vote record set by Mr. Obama in 2012. Mr. Trump received more than 70 million votes — far more than the 63 million he received in 2016 when he beat Hillary Clinton while losing the popular vote.
Voters overcame their fears of the coronavirus, long lines at the polls and the vexing challenges of a transformed election system to render a verdict on Mr. Trump’s chaotic and norm-breaking presidency. Mr. Trump was the first incumbent president to lose a bid for re-election since George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton in 1992.
Still, the race was not the landslide many Democrats had hoped for: Mr. Biden lost a number of important battleground states where he had invested time and resources, most notably Florida, amid signs of challenges with a number of Latino constituencies.
The Trump campaign and Republican lawyers have already begun a wide-ranging legal assault to challenge Democratic votes and victories in key swing states, part of a long-telegraphed effort to call the validity of the election into question.
Mr. Trump, who baselessly declared victory early Wednesday, before votes were tallied in multiple states, had regularly questioned the legitimacy of the election as polls showed him trailing, and it was not immediately clear how he would respond to the news of Mr. Biden’s victory.
Much of Mr. Biden’s agenda in office may rest on his ability to work with Congress. Democrats have maintained their hold on the House but had a much narrower path to reclaiming control of the Senate
Commentary: Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa has accused Kaniva News of spin over the government’s quarry contract agreement.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa did not deny the relationship between the government and the contractors we reported. He also spun his statement to make his readers think Kaniva had released misleading and incomplete information.
Editor of Kaniva Tonga News Kalino Lātū, Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa.
“I wish to clarify the government’s decision was not based on blood relationship ground and closed working ties as what the news was trying to put a spin on “na’e hehema ki ai e fakamatala ko eni”,” the Prime Minister said in a press statement in Tongan.
“The government wishes to say it’s important to release news which is truthful and fair for the people of the country and to stop releasing news that was incomplete and misleading.”
The Prime Minister should think twice before completely rejecting criticisms from the public about what they see as a conflict of interest in the way his government offered the quarry contract agreements to companies which have strong family connections.
He should be aware that in New Zealand, Australia and the USA conflict of interest is a big issue when it comes to government or private company procurements.
This means conflict of interest is a matter of interest for Tongans who are now living in New Zealand, Australia and the United States where the Tongan population is bigger than in the kingdom.
These people have criticised Hon. Tu’i’onetoa’s road project on social media. They have the right to do so because these are the people who send millions of pa’anga in remittances to Tonga every year and upon which the country’s economy relies.
In these countries, conflict of interest is not treated lightly, unlike the situation in Tonga where a clear conflict of interest is being treated as if it is unimportant.
Whenever a contract for advertising to run on Kaniva News from the New Zealand government is being prepared, the government agency wants to know whether there is any conflict of interest. A maintenance supply form was sent to Kaniva News asking whether the supplier was aware of any conflict of interest that may exist between the supplier and the government agency in relation to existing or future transactions?
In his attempts to justify the family and government connection with the quarry contractors, the Prime Minister said no law had been breached.
He gave two examples to justify his actions. He said he was a Professional Auditor (Chartered Accountant) who worked as Auditor General for so many years. He said the code of ethics for Chartered Accountants allowed the accounting firm to perform the auditing work and provide the accounting services for the same business and that was conflict of interest in which in his own interpretation it was legal in Tonga.
In most countries high standards are expected of public servants, government ministers, MPs and professionals.
The New Zealand Public Service says: “The strength of any government system lies in the extent to which it earns and holds the respect of its citizens. That respect comes from the confidence which people have in the integrity of government and the services it provides.
“New Zealanders are entitled to the high expectations they have of the staff in government agencies. They expect that we are honest, fair, and loyal. These are absolute standards.
“New Zealanders expect departments to comply with both the letter and the spirit of the law. They expect official decisions to be made fairly and impartially. They expect that public money will be spent wisely and public assets will be used and cared for responsibly.
“Any abuse of trust, abuse of resources, abuse of information, or personal opportunism corrodes the entitlement of all New Zealanders.”
The Australian Public service says: “The public is entitled to have confidence in the integrity of their public officials, and to know that an employee’s personal interests do not conflict with his or her public duties.”
Government officials, whether elected or appointed, are held to very high standards in many countries. In South Australia, for instance, government ministers are expected to not only follow a ministerial code of conduct, but to ensure that they always appear to be doing so. In this way there can be no suspicion of ministers behaving improperly.
In some countries members of the government, whether elected or appointed, are expected to resign where conflicts of interest are serious enough. President Nixon was forced to resign in 1974 in the face of the Watergate investigation.
In July this year Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh resigned amid suspicions of conflict of interest because of his stake in a waste processing company that won government contracts worth €15 million (NZ$26 million.)
Nobody is suggesting that Hon. Tu’i’onetoa should resign, but he should stop trying so hard to downplay people’s concerns. There is no doubt most Tongans want the road project and see it as a priority. However, they are deeply concerned about the background of the people who have strong links with government and these contractors.
There have also been concerns about the independence of the Procurement Committee because it was a government committee.
This story was originally appeared on TVNZ and is republished with permission
Police have launched a homicide investigation after a body was found in a vehicle on fire in Auckland’s Manurewa this morning.
Source: 1 NEWS
Detective Inspector Chris Barry, of Counties Manukau Police, said emergency services were called to the scene on Alfriston Road at about 3am.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, then a body was found, Barry said.
“Police quickly attended and we have established a cordon at the scene.
“Police is currently speaking with a man in relation to this matter and he is assisting us with our inquiries.”
Barry said there were diversions in place from the intersections of Alfriston Road and Mill Road, along Alfriston Road to the intersection with Brookby and Alfriston Ardmore Road.
“We thank our community for their patience and understanding as we deal with this incident.
“Police now has a number of inquiries underway to establish the identity of the deceased, and to determine the circumstances of what has occurred. Our priority is to identify the deceased and locate their next of kin.”
Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa said this morning the relationship between government members and the companies awarded the quarry contracts was unimportant.
Kaniva News reported yesterday that three companies with strong links to the government had been awarded contracts to supply rocks for a major road project.
Responding to our report on the awarding of the contracts yesterday, the Prime Minister said the most important news was that the companies had accepted the government’s proposal to pay only $70 for a single load.
“It’s simple arithmetic,” the Prime Minister said.
“Subtract $70 from $190 equals $120 and from $220 that’s $150.”
He said the government may have paid more than double for the quarry material the government had contracted with other companies.
“A huge amount of money has been saved from taxpayers’ money after the prudent decision we made,” Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said.
“But you are wasting your time on writing about how it has been linked to blood relationships as if it was something important.”
As we reported in February, Government road projects in different electorates have been a priority for Hon. Tu’i’onetoa’s government.
The quarry contractors are Island Dredging Limited, City Engineering and Construction Ltd and Inter-Pacific Ltd.
The Minister of Police, Lord Nuku, used to be a Director for Island Dredging. Lord Nuku’s son Faka’osifono Valevale is the current Director of Island Dredging.
Tongan People’s Party Deputy Chairman Etuate Lavulavu was made a Director of Inter-Pacific Limited in February 2016 but was later replaced by ‘Inoke Finau Vala in May this year.
‘Etuate Lavulavu is married to the Minister of Infrastructure and Tourism. Saia Moehau is the sole Director of City Engineering and Construction Ltd.
Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa has confirmed that three companies with strong links to the government have been awarded contracts to supply rocks for the government’s new multimillion roading project.
Companies with strong government, family, connections awarded road building contracts. (L-R) Saia Moehau, Lord Nuku and ‘Etuate Lavulavu
The contractors are Island Dredging Limited, City Engineering and Construction Limited and Inter-Pacific Limited.
In April the Prime Minister said claims that a contract had been awarded to City Engineering and Constructions were “false and misleading.”
The Minister of Police, Lord Nuku, used to be a Director for Island Dredging but his name was taken off the director’s list on July 31 last year.
Lord Nuku’s son Faka’osifono Valevale is the current Director of Island Dredging.
Tongan People’s Party Deputy Chairman Etuate Lavulavu was made a Director of Inter-Pacific Limited in February 2016 but was later replaced by ‘Inoke Finau Vala in May this year.
‘Etuate Lavulavu is also the husband of the Minister of Infrastructure and Tourism. Saia Moehau is the sole Director of City Engineering and Construction Ltd and he is a strong supporter of the People’s Party.
The Island Dredging Ltd will supply rocks for Tongatapu 10, Tt9, Tt2, Tt4 and Tt3. City Engineering will supply rocks for Tongatapu 6, Tt7, Tt5, Tt8, and Tt1. Inter-Pacific Ltd will supply rocks for Vava’u 16, VV15, and VV14.
The names of the three contractors were revealed on social media in June. Democrat MPs accused the Prime Minister and his Government in Parliament of nepotism and conflict of interest in regards to the road project.
Opposition MPs claimed that other contractors involved in the bid for the contract were cheaper than the government’s favoured contractors.
Kaniva News reported in April this year that the government claimed it could not afford to pay the market price of between TP$190 and TP$220 for the rocks and so had lawfully cancelled the procurement process.
The Prime Minister said at the time it was following due process for the procurement contract.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa then said the government had set the price at TP$70 for each truck load.
A bill to tackle online abuse and cyber crime is being introduced by the Tu’i’onetoa government.
It aims to make it an offence to post content that is offensive, threatening, defamatory and causes distress.
Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa
Known as the Internet Abuse Offences Bill 2020, the Prime Minister said this was “a very important bill for the poor people of the nation.”
Tu’i’onetoa told local media the people had been bullied and intimidated on social media.
He said some people created fake accounts on Facebook to hide their identity while defaming others.
“It’s going from worse to worst,” he said.
The bill, containing 26 clauses and 19 pages, is expected to be submitted to Parliament this week.
The bill came after a move by the Late ‘Akilisi Pohiva government last year to shut down Facebook after vicious allegations of a sexual nature against the royal family was posted to Facebook.
Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said at the time the government had been long concerned about people abusing Facebook.
The Supreme Court has adjudicated on a custody dispute involving a separated couple.
The court was told that the couple became estranged after the wife began an affair with another man while the husband was away working overseas under seasonal picking fruit programmes.
The husband subsequently sought custody of all the children, three boys aged 11, 8 and 7, and two girls aged 5 and 3, which was granted by the magistrate’s court.
The wife appealed and was given custody by another magistrate.
Before the current case the three boys went to live with their father’s mother. The girls were living with their mother’s sister.
The court ordered that a guardian be appointed to investigate the best interests of children Following the guardian’s report, Judge Niu ordered that the two daughters remain with their mother.
He ordered that the three sons be given into the custody of the father.
He ordered that the parents have access to all the children at set times during the weekend.
Judge Niu ordered that maintenance and school expenses of the children will be provided by the parent in whose custody the children are.
“Each parent shall ensure that each child is properly cared for and shall be responsible for the good health, honesty, discipline and religious teaching of the children in his/her custody,” the judge said.
The husband subsequently sought custody of all the children, three boys aged 11, 8 and 7, and two girls aged 5 and 3, which was granted by the magistrate’s court.
