UPDATED: Tonga Parliament has removed a new login panel it has installed on its website which has blocked new users and it appeared there was no way to register new accounts.
The incident has concerned Tongans overseas who rely for information about Parliament on the site.
Kaniva has reported the incident on Tuesday night before it was removed the following day.
The times of
Parliament’s sessions are normally aired on Tonga Broadcasting Commission radio,
but are not stored online.
As we reported, once users open the site www.parliament.gov.to it asks to “Please login” with two blocks below it which required users’ username and password.
The new
internet panel is meant for users who have already registered an account on the
site.
However,
there is no way for a user to register an account so they can login.
Further down
the page are links for storing the username and password of the registered
users under the tag ‘Remember me.’ Another link is to help those who have forgotten
their password and the other for users to click so they can log in.
Kaniva news attempted a number of times to log
in, but failed completely.
Parliamentary
authorities could not be reached for comments.
The website
holds important documents and sources of information for the public including
Parliamentary meeting minutes and press releases.
Kaniva news became aware of the issue this
evening after it received a number of complaints from Tongans in New Zealand.
Some were
concerned at the move, asking why Parliament wanted to control access to public
information.
They said
the website of the Parliament of New Zealand did not require a login.
The
main points
A new login panel installed on Tonga
Parliament’s website has blocked new users and it appears there is no way to
register new accounts.
The incident has concerned Tongan
overseas who rely for information about Parliament on the site.
A Tongan women’s
leader has described comments by
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack as “the ugly beast of
colonialism.”
Ofakilevuka
Guttenbeil-Likiliki of the Women and Children Crisis Centre has joined a chorus
of criticism against McCormack, who has been condemned by political leaders in
the Pacific and Australia for comments he made on climate change in the Pacific.
“They [Pacific
Islanders] will continue to survive, there’s no question they’ll continue to
survive and they’ll continue to survive on large aid assistance from
Australia….They’ll continue to survive because many of their workers come
here and pick our fruit, pick our fruit grown with hard Australian enterprise
and endeavour,” McCormack said.
Guttenbeil-Likiliki
said McCormack sounded like New Zealand broadcaster Heather du Plessis-Allan,
who once described the Pacific Islands as leeches.
Guttenbeil-Likiliki
said McCormack’s statements were “neo-colonialism at its best.”
“I read these neo-colonialist
commentaries and I cringe because it’s nothing short of white supremacist
domination – it is creating hate towards our Pacific peoples making them look
like ‘leeches’ who should be ‘grateful’ and remain obedient and silent,” she
said.
“Tell me, how
will aid stop the sea level from rising? How will it stop displacement of
communities? How will your aid prevent natural disasters across the Pacific?
Are you also saying that the Pacific does nothing for Australia and that it’s
just a one-way street?
“Think again. Who
is getting richer on whose resources?”
Guttenbeil-Likiliki
said she took comfort from the words of the late ‘Epeli Hau’ofa who said: “Oceania
is vast, Oceania is expanding, Oceania is hospitable and generous, Oceania is
humanity rising from the depths of brine and regions of fire deeper still,
Oceania is us. We are the sea, we are the ocean, we must wake up to this ancient
truth and together use it to overturn all hegemonic views that aim ultimately
to confine us again, physically and psychologically, in the tiny spaces which
we have resisted accepting as our sole appointed place, and from which we have
recently liberated ourselves. We must not allow anyone to belittle us again,
and take away our freedom”
“Ignorant”
McCormack’s
comments have also been slammed by Australia’s acting opposition leader Richard
Marles, who described them as “ignorant.”
Former
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia must respect Pacific islanders’
concerns about the impact of global heating.
“Climate
change and the consequences of it are an existential matter for the Pacific,”
Turnbull said.
“If
you are a Pacific islander and your home is going to be washed away by rising
sea levels caused by global warming then this is not a political issue, it’s an
existential one.
“So
it’s critically important that we are seen to be helping climate change, both
in reducing our emissions as part of a global effort, and of course as we do
providing them with substantial resources to adapt to climate change.”
Fijian
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama reacted to McCormack’s comments by accusing
the Australian government of taking a “big step backwards” in its
relations with the Pacific.
Meanwhile,
Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga reacted to McCormack’s comments by
threatening to pull Tuvaluan labour from Australia’s seasonal worker programme.
Sopoaga
said he would encourage the leaders of the other Pacific countries – including
Kiribati, Samoa and Tonga – to do the same.
The
main points
Ofakilevuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki of the Women and Children
Crisis Centre in Tonga has described comments
by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack as “the ugly
beast of colonialism.”
McCormack has been criticised for comments on climate change
in the Pacific he made after critical talks at the Pacific Islands Forum that
almost collapsed over Australia’s positions on coal and climate change.
A prominent Chinese businessman widely known to locals as Tsay was one of 26 Chinese gamblers Police have arrested on Sunday.
More than $89,000 cash had been seized along with five
pistol airguns and illegal cigerattes.
Seventeen men and nine women between the ages of 23 to 65-year-old were arrested at a building at Tofoa that belongs to a 48-year-old Chinese, Acting Police Commissioner Pelenatita Vaisuai said in a Police statement.
She described the incident and the arrests as “mere chance.”
“The Police Drugs Enforcement Taskforce arrested 26 Chinese Nationals for playing games for money or other stakes on Sunday 18 of August 2019, thousand pa’anga and other foreign currencies in an ongoing police operation,” she said.
The statement did not mention Tsay but various sources on
social media claimed the gambling was held at one of his properties.
When asked, the Minister of Police has confirmed to Kaniva news Tsay was one of those arrested.
Gambling is prohibited and any social activities on Sunday are not allowed.
All suspects are in police custody while investigation
continues.
There has been a lull in the ongoing political clash on social media between the royal and democrat supporters on Saturday 17 after PTOA Party supporters in New Zealand visited the Auckland hospital where Lord Fusitu’a is staying.
The president of the New Zealand supporters of the Pohiva government and democrats, said in Tongan politics should be put aside.
As Kaniva news reported recently, Lord Fusitu’a was
hospitalised after his health deteriorated.
He was put on the ventilator at Vaiola’s intensive
care unit before the government hired an air ambulance from New Zealand which
airlifted him into Auckland’s Middlemore hospital.
According to various sources, the king’s noble’s
health condition has improved since his admission.
The Kakalu ‘O Tonga this week claimed on its front page that the noble had been put on dialysis. Kaniva news has been unable to contact Lord Fusitu’a’s medical team from Tonga or Middlemore authorities.
PTOA members who visited the hospital were
led by the group’s president, Sione Fifita, and secretary Sitimi Taukolo.
While they were not allowed to see Lord Fusitu’a directly, they were welcomed at the hospital’s reception by a cousin of Lord Fusitu’a. They said a prayer, gave the cousin an envelope of money and left, a source within the PTOA supporters said.
Fifita was heard on a livestreamed video as saying that after Lord Fusitu’a arrived in Auckland he thought they should visit him.
The cousin told the visitors, according to the video, they ” are now working together.”
Kolio Tapueluelu, one of the royal supporters who were at Middlemore when the PTOA visitors arrived, told them he had learned from them and how they resolved to leave their political differences aside and visited noble Fusitu’a.
Political clash
Lord Fusitu’a has been one of the key figures from opposition bench instrumental in rejecting the government’s six new bills which are pending in Parliament.
In Parliament he has regularly
questioned Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s health and his regular medical
travel to New Zealand.
It is understood Hon. Pohiva visited Lord Fusitu’a in Vaiola before he was sent to New Zealand.
The Minister of Police reportedly said he signed the document authorising the air ambulance to land in Tonga on Sunday because “life was important.”
The Minister of Health
is also understood to have signed hospital documents authorising the sending of
Lord Fusitu’a to New Zealand.
The main points
There has been a lull in the ongoing political clash
on social media between the royal and democrat supporters after PTOA Party supporters in New Zealand
visited the Auckland hospital where Lord Fusitu’a is staying.
The president of the New Zealand supporters of the
Pohiva government and democrats, said that when it came to someone who was
struggling with his life they had to help no matter what their political
stances were.
For more information
Gov’t payment
for Lord Fusitu‘a’s air ambulance sparks fierce online debate
In 2009 Tongan
publisher Kalafi Moala warned that the country’s democratic politicians were turning into the
very people they had opposed.
“The oppressed had become the oppressor … doing the very things that the Government had been criticised for,”he said during the launch of his book In Search of the Friendly Islands.
Moala was speaking in the aftermath of the Nuku’alofa riots and was highly critical in particular of ‘Akilisi Pōhiva.
Moala has had
a stormy relationship with the Prime Minister and quit as the Prime Minister’s media
adviser.
However, his words should hang in the air behind Hon. Pōhiva’s head as his government considers its reaction to the latest Facebook controversy.
The Prime
Minister’s reaction to criticism in the media and what he sees as
conspiratorial processes in the Tongan Broadcasting Commission have already led
people to wonder whether this is the same man who promotes democracy.
Warning
Moala’s
experiences under King Tupou IV earlier this century should be a warning to the
government about what happens when a determined media is challenged.
In 2003 the
Tongan government banned Taimi ‘o Tonga
for criticising the government of Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata.
The paper had denounced corruption and a decision by King Taufa’āhau Tupou IV to build a cigarette factory.
Supporters of the king circulated a petition in January 2002 calling for the paper to be banned. Moala, who was deported to New Zealand in 1995, was charged with libelling the king.
Ultimately, however,
the attempted ban failed and the government was heavily criticised at home,
abroad and in the courts.
Tonga’s
Supreme Court declared the ban on the bi-weekly paper illegal and a violation
of the national constitution.
Lord Chief
Justice Ward said the government’s repeated efforts to ban the paper were
thinly-veiled attempts to curb press freedom. The judge also suspended the
government’s cancellation of the paper’s publishing license.
Ineffective
Kaniva News understands the
government’s position on the Facebook posts perfectly well.
They have been
described as obscene and have deeply offended many Tongans.
However, as we
have pointed out, it would be easy to get around any ban on Facebook with the
right software and in any case, the perpetrators of the posts seem to live in
Australia and will not be affected.
A wholesale
ban on Facebook would be unlikely to succeed and would upset the majority of Tongans
who use the site for legitimate purposes.
By trying to impose
a ban the government will simply make itself look foolish or ineffective.
The best it is
likely to be able to do is to negotiate with Facebook to have the posts
removed.
Facebook is in
fact vulnerable at the moment, having been lambasted over its failure to stop
the live stressing of the Christchurch mosque massacre and its role in running
fake news and Russian backed propaganda during the US elections and the UK
Brexit vote.
The government
should take advantage of Facebook’s own vulnerability and use it to resolve the
situation in a way that targets the people responsible without risking the
government’s reputation or angering legitimate users.
Nor can it
risk, in Moala’s words, doing the very things for which Prince Ata’s government
was criticised.
By Makereta Komai FUNAFUTI, Tuvalu (Pacnews/Pacific Media Watch): Tonga’s Prime Minister, ‘Akilisi Pohiva, has delivered a stinging attack against regionalism and the Pacific Islands Forum’s stance of leaving no one behind, for failing to amicably resolve the issue of West Papua.
Pohiva admitted the issue has divided the 18 members of the Forum for many years since it has been on the agenda of the leaders’ meeting.
“Is regionalism a myth, is it real or based on reality, he questioned leaders during the dialogue with the regional civil society organisations (CSO) this week in Funafuti.
Pohiva called out Indonesia – claiming it has a powerful influence over some members of the group – naming Fiji, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
“How can they reconcile the concept of leaving no one behind when they are friends with Indonesia?
“We should not let others control us. We should stand together in solidarity in support of the people of West Papua,” said Pohiva.
There was pindrop silence when the Tongan Prime Minister delivered his intervention responding to the regional CSO’s call for a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.
Human rights importance “None of us can speak of an inclusive and peaceful Pacific and remain silent on the serious human rights issues for West Papuans. We call on Pacific Leaders to observe the importance of human rights in all parts of our region.
“We urge that Forum Leaders call on Indonesia to immediately allow access of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN special mandate holders to West Papua, said the CSO statement.
Civil society organisations also requested Indonesia to immediately restore the access of independent journalists in the region, so that the international community can have better access to the ongoing human rights situation in West Papua.
Responding to the concerns of civil society organisations, Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said that while Fiji heard the CSO’s position “loud and clear” on West Papua, it would be guided by the leaders’ previous decision.
“Fiji fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, including Indonesia, and we will always uphold the principles of the UN charter,” said Bainimarama.
He said Fiji was concerned with alleged reports of human rights violation and would continue to advocate for the protection of the human rights of all West Papuans.`
“This is a matter of life or death to many West Papuans and we must tread boldly – but thoughtfully – as we move forward as a region.
‘War and chaos’ “Territorial disputes have fuelled war and chaos since the beginning of time and we must approach this situation with both caution and hope in finding a solution,” said Bainimarama.
The Tongan leader warned that Indonesia was powerful and could challenge anyone in the Forum membership.
“We will never get a solution because Indonesia is so powerful. Our only weapon is to stand together in unity and in solidarity and support the people of West Papua,” said Pohiva.
Samoa’s Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, said that despite Forum leaders taking a position over the years, the violations and challenges for the people of West Papua had not reduced.
“It keeps on increasing. We can’t continue to ignore the violations of human rights against the people of West Papua. Its time that we review our position.”
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister reserved his government’s position on the issue.
United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) spokesperson Jacob Rumbiak greeted with emotion the strong support from some Pacific leaders – particularly Tonga and Vanuatu.
Papuan tribute to Tonga “We are happy that it has taken the 50th session of the Pacific Forum Leaders meeting to see some positive movement in the leaders of the Pacific. I am deeply appreciative of the great efforts of the CSOs for pushing this issue through their position to the leaders,” Rumbiak said.
He paid tribute to Tongan Prime Minister Pohiva for his powerful intervention.
“The response from Prime Minister Pohiva was the strongest so far and very powerful, especially when he urged them to unite and stand up to Indonesia.
“This issue has been on the regional agenda for 10-15 years and it’s not a domestic issue any more. It’s now a regional issue and leaders should now act on it’,” said Rumbiak.
Makereta Komai is editor of the Fiji-based Pacnews regional news service.This story is published under Kaniva’s content shared agreement with Pacnews.
The 40-year-old German woman reported missing after she failed to return from her diving group trip in ‘Eua on Sunday, has been identified by Police.
Her
name was Marina Trost from Munich, Germany.
Earlier, police said
they were coordinating the search with assistance from local
boats, divers and New Zealand and Australian authorities in the area but Trost has not been seen since.
She was part of a whale-watching
group that visited a cave on the northern tip of the island.
It
is understandable that the government has been outraged by the comments posted online about members
of the royal family.
However,
shutting down Facebook in Tonga will not solve the problem.
People
with the right software will be able to circumvent the ban and there are dozens
of other online forums where people can post anything they like.
No
matter what ban the government might impose, Tongans living overseas who are
suspected of posting the comments on the royals, could continue to post obscene
allegations on Facebook.
According
to a report published by Radio FM 87.5 on its Facebook page today, a report
from the Attorney General on the issue will be submitted to parliament
tomorrow.
The
Cabinet is expected to make its final decision based on the report.
The government will make a mistake if it tries to ban Facebook.
The
Tonga Chamber of Commerce has objected to the closure.
Ordinary
Tongans have also opposed the proposal.
While
some supported the move, many said Facebook should not be closed down just
because of an act of pure evil by a few unidentified groups or individuals.
They
said the best solution was for the government
to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
They
said Tonga must accept the reality of digital world and information age.
Some
suggested the king and royal family must learn to face these kind of comments
because it was an expression of freedom of speech.
Freedom
of speech is guaranteed under the Tongan
constitution,
They
said the government must treat the king and the royals equally with other people when it comes to social media because
that is how social media was meant to be.
Everyone
was free to post what they think of their leaders.
Striking a balance
Striking
a balance between freedom of expression
and being offensive is not easy, especially when a country ‘s democratic
political structures are new.
However,
that is what the Tongan government must do.
Earlier
this year New Zealand’s Minister of Justice, Andrew Little, wrote about freedom of speech in New Zealand.
His comments raise issues that are pertinent to the situation in Tonga.
“Protecting
freedom of speech is vital to hold those in authority to account, challenge the
socially and culturally dominant, and enable society to progress.
“Freedom
of speech can give force to new ideas, but also cause discomfort and offence.
“When
speech threatens others, or is abusively discriminatory, then it has the
potential to cause harm and encroach on the freedom of others.
“Drawing
the line is not simple. Protecting freedom of speech that challenges authority
and orthodoxy will inevitably still cause offence to some.”
The
decision the Tongan government faces is not an easy one. To simply shut down
Facebook would not stop offensive comments being made.
It
could also damage the kingdom’s economy and severely inconvenience those
ordinary Tongans who use the online forum sensibly.
More
importantly, it would, however hard it is to accept, strike a blow against
freedom of speech, something that should not come from a democratic government.
For
more information
Gov’t may shut down
Facebook following ‘disrespectful, obscene’ allegations against king; PM
seriously concerned
A photo of Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has triggered online jokes about the pair discussing the whereabout of Lieutenant-Colonel Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara.
Mara
took refuge in Tonga after he was accused of trying to overthrow the
Bainimarama government eight years ago.
The photo also featured the PNG Prime Minister James Marape.
It is
believed it was taken this week in Tuvalu during the Pacific Islands Forum 2019 and was posted to Facebook.
The joke has attracted other comments with one saying
that Mara not only felt at home in Tonga, but had also come into control of
“our lands.”
Lt
Colonel Mara, who was commander of the
Third Fiji Infantry Regiment, was accused in 2011 of plotting the overthrow of the
Bainimarama government. He was effectively the second most powerful man in Fiji
after Bainimarama.
Mara and his colleague Brigadier General Pita Diriti were
arrested and accused of mutiny and sedition against Bainimarama.
Diriti was sentenced in 2013 to five years’ imprisonment.
While on bail, Mara’s family allegedly contacted their
royal cousins in Tonga.
In May 2011 the Tongan Naval boat Savea, secretly picked up Mara
south of Ono-i-Lau and took him to Nuku’alofa.
The rescue plunged the two neighbouring
countries into crisis.
At the time, Bainimarama urged the kingdom to return Mara to Fiji.
He accused Tongan authorities of conspiring to snatch
Mara away from his country.
The then Communication Advisor for the Prime Minister, ‘Ahongalu Fusimalohi, said Mara had been granted a Tongan passport.
He is now under the protection of the king of Tonga.
Ratu Mara in Tonga
In
2013 the Fiji Sun reported that Mara
had become private secretary to King Tupou VI.
It
also said Princess Pilolevu had given him the island of Makaha’a which he was developing
for eco-tourism.
Mara
later denied the report.
Veteran
Pacific affairs reporter Micheal Field said Mara was told to keep a low profile
politically.
According
to various sources Mara has been employed by the king as his royal real estate
agent.
A
letter purporting to show a message to a tenant at the king’s estate of Pea,
seen by Kaniva news this week, appeared
to have been signed by Mara. Kaniva news
could not confirm the authenticity of the letter.
It
was written in Tongan on 26 April 2018 and was sent on what appeared to be the
palace’s official letterhead.
PM Pōhiva at Pacific leaders’ meeting in Tuvalu
Leaders of Forum member states are meeting in Tuvalu this week, with Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva leading the Tongan delegation.
Radio
New Zealand has reported that Indonesia has
complained to the Forum secretariat over West Papuan leader Benny Wenda’s
participation at the summit.
As the chairman of the United
Liberation Movement for West Papua, Benny Wenda has been an active lobbyist for
greater regional representation for his people.
Vanuatu, the key regional
supporter of Papuan aims for independence from Indonesia, has included Mr Wenda
and other Liberation Movement representatives in its forum delegation.
Detik Newsreports a spokesman for Indonesia’s
Foreign Affairs Ministry saying it has lodged a protest with the Forum
secretariat.
He said that by allowing Mr
Wenda, with his separatist aims, to participate in the summit, the Forum was
not showing neutrality on the Papua issue.
Eager to grow connections in the Pacific, Jakarta says it
has no desire to talk with unfriendly countries, but rather those that seek
economic development co-operation.
Last month West Papuan human rights activist Rosa Moiwend has asked Tonga to continue its support for her people’s struggle for independence.
In 2015 Hon. Pōhiva called on the United Nations to help West Papua, whose people have suffered under a brutal Indonesian occupation for nearly 60 years.
The main points
A photo of Prime Minister
‘Akilisi Pohiva and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has caused a joke
with a Tongan poster saying they discussed the whereabout of Bainimarama’s
failed mutiny accused Lieutenant-Colonel Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara.
Mara was accused in 2011 of
plotting the overthrow of the Bainimarama government before he fled to Tonga on
a Tongan navy vessel.
