The Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Henry Puna, says today’s meeting will honour the leaders who set up the organisation, 50 years ago.
The leaders of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Tonga and Samoa together with Australia and New Zealand met in Wellington from 5th-7th August 1971. This was the first South Pacific Forum meeting.
At the time, the only regional organisation established was the South Pacific Commission which was created in 1947.
The leaders of the newly independent island nations understood the external influences that existed in that regional body, which included colonial powers. It was clear another forum was needed.
Pacific Islands Forum secretary general, Henry Puna. Photo: Forumsec
The Forum’s membership has increased from the original seven founding members to also include the Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
In 1999, the South Pacific Forum transformed into the Pacific Islands Forum.
“Today is a very special occasion, it’s a time of reflection, a time of honouring the legacy of our leaders who have gone before us, and honouring their wisdom in setting up this organisation back in 1971 in Wellington.
While they dealt with a range of issues at the time, issues that directly affected the lives of Pacific peoples, they had particular focus on trade, tourism, shipping and education,” he said.
“Those issues are still very important today for us but of course the world has changed a lot in 50 years and it’s a credit the values of the organisation that we have been able to change with world and come up with new priorities, that are of real importance to the region, such as climate change for example,” he said.
“And for me, one of the greatest achievements we have made as as a region, working together, moving forward, hand in hand, was the achievement at Cop21 in Paris in 2015, when the whole world signed up to the Paris Agreement.
For me, that was the defining moment in our collective effort as the Pacific Islands Forum.
Pacific regionalism
There’s a need for Pacific regionalism and leadership on the climate and Covid-19 crises,” according to a Pacific academic.
Auckland University associate professor Damon Salesa said the forum is faced with its biggest crises in its 50 years.
“The next few decades are the critical moments for Pacific regionalism particularly around things like climate change, where the region has a global role and not just a regional one.
He also says the rise of ‘new actors’ in the Pacific means the need for regionalism now is even more important than there was in the past.
“We are seeing the re-emergence of in the Pacific the feelings about China playing a bigger role in the Pacific, so it’s great to see the US playing this bigger role but we know that that’s one of the things in the back of everyone’s minds,” he said.
The US President, Joe Biden, addressed the online meeting. He was invited by Fiji’s Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, the Forum’s incoming chair.
Salesa is calling on the United States to help persuade Micronesia to return to the Pacific Islands Forum.
By Sarah Robson for rnz.co.nz. Republished with permission
Cabinet ministers considered giving beneficiaries a full $50 a week boost in this year’s Budget, just-released documents reveal.
But they ultimately decided against it, settling instead on a two-stage increase, with a $20 hike this year, to be topped up next year to the levels recommended by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group in 2019.
Once fully implemented in April 2022, that means main benefit rates will increase by between $32 and $55 a week.
A suite of documents, released today, detail the various options weighed up by ministers in the lead-up to the May Budget.
The original proposal was for a $25 a week increase, but Prime Minister and Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Jacinda Ardern sought further advice on a $50 a week increase, with options to implement it in full or in two stages.
In a joint report in March, officials said a larger increase to benefits would help significantly with the Government’s goals to improve income adequacy, improve child well-being and reduce child poverty.
“It would support more ambitious targets for the second round of the three-year child poverty targets and ensure greater progress towards the 10-year targets.
“A $50 per week increase to main benefits would roughly double the reductions in child poverty on the before-housing-cost primary measure relative to a $25 per week increase.”
But because of the hefty price tag, officials warned there would be trade-offs with other spending priorities and implications for financial incentives to study and work.
In another report, Treasury advised against a $50 a week increase, saying it should progress, at most, with a $25 a week in this year’s Budget.
In that report, Treasury said there was a risk, without an accompanying increase to in-work support for families with children, a $50 benefit increase could weaken work incentives.
There would also be a mismatch with student support, which could disincentivise people from moving into study.
And without any support going to low income families not on a benefit, a number of children living in poverty would miss out on any additional support.
While there were options to mitigate some of those adverse impacts, they would come at a significant cost, Treasury said.
The decision ministers landed on, with a two-stage increase to bring benefits up to the levels recommended by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group in 2019, was not without its own problems.
Officials said the increases only partially met the group’s recommendations, because they did not take into account the subsequent indexation increases that would have occurred if benefits were increased immediately in 2019.
The documents show cabinet ministers were provided with adjusted figures for the group’s recommended benefit increases, that brought them to 2021 levels.
In a December 2020 report, Treasury said a “significant income support package will likely be needed at least every term to enable meaningful progress towards the child poverty targets”.
But officials also warned that tackling child poverty would require action in other areas.
“Employment, where viable, is one of the most effective routes out of poverty for families.
“Policy settings should help parents into employment and address barriers to employment such as childcare and/or transport costs. Tackling these barriers is more important given the disadvantages some groups, such as women, may face in the labour market following Covid-19.
“Rising housing costs are a significant driver of lower-living standards for some families. Addressing housing costs will improve material well-being for children.”
Other documents showed the Government had considering announcing a $25/week increase to benefits before Christmas last year, but officials suggested this could be pursued as part of the 2021 Budget process.
By Ben Strang, Police reporter. This story appeared on RNZ.co.nz. Kaniva News republished RNZ.co.nz in partnership
A biennial survey run by NielsenIQ of almost 6000 Police Association members shows 73 percent support for general arming of the police constabulary, the highest level in a decade.
Support is even higher among frontline officers, with road policing at 79 percent, general duties police at 77 percent, and other uniformed operational roles at 74 percent.
The survey found one in four general duties officers were threatened with a firearm last year, while one in eight officers overall were threatened with a gun.
The last time support for general arming was at these levels was in 2010, the year after senior constable Len Snee was shot dead during the Napier siege.
It was also two years after sergeant Derek Wootton was killed by a fleeing driver, and sergeant Don Wilkinson was shot dead.
This year’s survey comes after constable Matt Hunt was shot and killed in Auckland in 2020, and David Goldfinch was also injured in the incident.
Police Association president Chris Cahill said the message from members is clear – they do not believe the current availability of firearms is sufficient for their safety.
Coster said safety of the front line was top of mind for the police leadership who were looking at “whole system settings” to keep police as safe as possible.
“It’s tempting to want to reach for a single solution that would be the magic wand.
“I’m pretty clear that general arming is not that magic wand.
“If we look internationally, there’s no jurisdiction you would point to to go they’re so much safer than us because they carry firearms.”
Some of these temporary arming orders – where all frontline officers can be armed – can span entire districts and last for days, usually while police investigate a shooting or other violence.
Heed officers’ opinion – Police Association
Cahill said support among frontline staff should be listened to by decision makers.
“They’re the ones who are really at the coalface,” Cahill said.
“It’s easy for many of us, myself included, to say this is a really big move and it will fundamentally change the way we police in New Zealand, but these are the officers that are actually facing the fundamental changes that have already occurred in society.
“Those changes around risk to them and risk to members of the community out there because of firearms, so their opinion is the most important, I think.”
Cahill said the figures showing one in four frontline officers had been confronted with a firearm in the past year were concerning, and matched up with figures on the number of staff suffering from post traumatic stress.
He said the mental distress being caused on the job was rising as firearms crime was rising.
The association has almost 11,000 members among the 14,000 strong police staff, including 99.2 percent of the constabulary.
The greatest opposition to general arming came from senior levels of the police, or those whose main duty is administration, planning or support, with support for arming as low as 25 or 29 percent.
But according to the survey, wider public support is in the majority, with 57 percent in favour of general arming.
That is a drop from 2019, when 61 percent were in favour.
Cahill said with staff and the public generally on board for the arming of police officers, Commissioner Coster, needed to make a decision.
Cahill is concerned at what he said is a blurring of the line between politicians and the police.
“I think you’ve got to be realistic to say something like this will always have a political edge to it and will always be something that will be debated politically, but it needs to be remembered that in the end it is an operational decision for the commissioner.
“But I think on a more wider basis we have to be really careful that politics aren’t pushing further and further into operational police decisions and that’s something we’ll be watching closely.”
The association cited comments from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over previous years, including a November 2019 tweet to rapper Tom Scott, when she said of general arming: “Won’t happen while I’m in this job. That we do get a say in”.
Cahill said Ardern should not have a say.
“It does worry me. I think there has definitely been a blurring of the line between politicians and police independence, and that needs to be looked at.
“The bottom line is, the prime minister will not make this decision because it’s not her decision to make.”
Three people have been arrested after a vehicle that had been allegedly carjacked crashed into another car in Ōpaheke in Auckland this morning, injuring a child.
Photo: RNZ / Kate Gregan
Police said just after 11am they observed someone with outstanding warrants in a vehicle travelling in the Wattle Downs area. The vehicle was signalled to stop but failed to do so.
Spikes were successfully deployed to stop the vehicle in the Red Hill area, where the occupants fled their car and forced two other people out of their own vehicle.
“It was reported at the time that a firearm may have been presented,” Area Commander for Counties Manukau South Inspector Joe Hunter said in a statement.
Armed police on Ōpaheke Road at the intersection with Settlement Road. Photo: Supplied to RNZ
That stolen vehicle fled the scene and was stopped by spikes on the road with support from police air units. It collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Ōpaheke and Settlement Roads, and the three occupants fled on foot.
Police on the scene quickly arrested one of the suspects and the two remaining suspects were found after a search in the area.
A child was taken to Middlemore Hospital for observation after the incident and is in a moderate condition. Victim Support has also been engaged for parties involved.
Armed police responded to the area as a precaution given the reports of firearms.
Police also located two firearms in the original vehicle that failed to stop.
“Police have responded to an incredibly volatile situation today where the decisions made by these three people have been incredibly reckless and dangerous,” Hunter said.
“Our community are as equally as disappointed as police are in this high risk behaviour that puts people’s safety at risk. Police have no tolerance for these actions and we will hold them accountable.”
Police are not currently seeking anyone else in connection with this matter.
Three foreign nationals have been arrested in a Vava’u drug busts carried out this week.
An unlicensed .22 rifle and ammunition seized during raids. Photo/Supplied
A 70-year-old British male and his 58-year-old American wife were arrested at Houmelei along with a 25-year-old American male.
Police have also seized almost 2kg of cocaine from a workshop at Neiafu owned and run by the 70-year-old and from the couple’s rented residence at Houmelei.
The arrest was part of the ongoing investigations into the washed-up cocaine in Vava’u.
“We want members of the public, locals and foreigners alike to take heed of the fact that possession or distribution of any drug is a serious offence,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner Halatoa Tāufa.
Packages of cocaine washed ashore in Vava’u. Photo/Supplied
“I take the opportunity to acknowledge members of the community who have been helpful to Police during this investigation.”
As Kaniva News reported previously, cocaine worth more than TOP$4 million has washed up on Hōleva and Ha’alaufuli beaches, with police scouring nearby shores for similar illicit packages.
In 2012, a yacht which washed up in Vava’u seas with a badly decomposed body on board was carrying more than 200kg of cocaine worth up to US$120 million.
Pensioners struggling to get home from Australia are having their superannuation payments stopped and some may be forced to start paying them back.
Jo-Ani Robinson flew to Sydney in March to help her son who had just been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.
She had a return flight booked for 31 July and enough heart medication to last her stay.
However her flight was cancelled and she could not secure another one before quarantine-free travel shut down for eight weeks.
Her medication was running out and she was told if she was not back by 20 September her pension would be stopped.
“I got in touch with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to email them about my plight, because I was worried about my superannuation because I’m aware that you can only be out of the country 26 weeks… and I got a rather brash email back saying – you knew you went over there in Covid times, so it’s your fault.”
MSD also told her if she could not get back by October she would have to start repaying the superannuation she received while she was in Australia.
She said the stress was unbearable.
“I feel quite sick about everything the New Zealand government has put me in such a predicament. I have no where else to go to.”
Another woman, Frances, also flew to Sydney to be with family but ended up needing emergency surgery and was only recently given clearance to fly by doctors.
“I was trying to get home before the cut off point for superannuation but the flights had stopped and MSD kindly told me that they will not extend the superannuation payments.”
MSD has since reversed that decision saying it had been trying to get in touch with Frances for some time to clarify her circumstances.
While that brought some relief, she was disappointed of the stress went through.
Neither of the women were eligible for a place on the government-managed flights out of New South Wales because they arrived in Sydney prior to 6 April.
Beneficiary advocate Kay Brereton said people in these circumstances were being treated unfairly.
“They’re not people who went on holiday for a bit of a galavant because the borders were open. They’re people who went over there to connect with family – quite often unwell family – and we need to realise that this isn’t all holiday-makers stuck in NSW.
“There’s a whole heap of reasons and some of them really deserve our compassion.”
There was no reason why people’s financial support should be cut off at all, she said.
“When we had our lockdown in 2020 we had people who were on benefits, or eligible for benefits, all around the world.
“Special rules were put in place to support those people because they couldn’t return to New Zealand because we’d closed our borders. What’s different now? I’m not sure.”
Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni said the circumstances were not as extreme as last year’s lockdown so the special rules were not required.
She urged anyone in exceptional circumstances to get in touch with MSD and explain why they were out of the country for longer than expected.
In a statement an MSD manager Jason Dwen said Robinson should continue to try and get a flight home before 20 September.
“It has been widely publicised that Air New Zealand is putting on extra flights and using bigger aircrafts to return people to New Zealand as a result of “the bubble” being put on hold.
“We’ve continued to encourage [her] to check the Air New Zealand website regularly to book a return seat to fly as soon as she can to ensure her NZ Super payments continue past 20 September – and to keep us updated to any changes in her circumstances.”
MSD could not say how many people in Australia currently had their superannuation payments suspended or were paying it back due to being out of the country for too long.
By Christine Rovoi, RNZ Pacific Journalist and is republished with permission.
A new vaccine may be needed if the Delta variant of Covid-19, which is currently in Fiji, continues to mutate, health experts say.
The government says more than 22,000 people with Covid are in isolation and the death toll has passed 260, and climbing.
The victims included an 11-month-old baby, pregnant mothers, a 15-year-old teenager and a 102-year-old woman.
The government maintains there is no need to impose a complete shutdown of the country.
According to the Health Ministry, the average deaths per day is eight, while the daily average infection is 1039 cases or 1174 per million population.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has placed Fiji on level 4 of its Covid-alert due to the growing number of cases in the Pacific nation.
Professor Fiona Russell from the University of Melbourne said reports that more people are dying from the virus in Fiji should be a concern.
She said the mutation of the Delta strain could happen.
“That is a characteristic of all viruses, not just the coronavirus and there are other mutations that have already occurred. At the moment what we’ve found is that the variants have become more transmissible. We have to keep an eye on that and there’s ongoing studies to monitor it. And it may be that in the future, people in Fiji may need a booster.”
Russell also said Fiji’s health facilities could easily get overwhelmed if people do not take heed of Covid-safe protocols.
She warned the country was very early on in the outbreak and should take heed of what had happened in countries such as India.
“If Covid-19 takes off in Fiji, then the hospitals may get full and that is if you get sick with anything at all, let alone Covid, then the doctors and nurses may not be able to treat you properly because they’re just so busy treating all the other Covid patients.
“We certainly in Australia were worried about that and so we made plans for that in case that was to occur.”
She praised Fiji’s efforts in trying to contain the disease.
Russell said the seriousness of Covid-19 was evident in how quickly it had spread during the second wave in the country.
Govt urged to change strategy
New Zealand epidemiologist and University of Otago professor Michael Baker agrees.
He said Fiji was going backwards in its fight against the pandemic.
Despite the Fijian prime minister’s refusal to enforce a national lockdown, Baker said it was not too late for the government to change its strategy.
“The situation in Fiji is very worrying. They’ve really lost control of this epidemic at this point given the record number of infections that are of a very widespread nature.
“It depends what their overall strategy is. If they want to return to elimination position, I think they need to act very decisively now and that actually offers a much better route back to economic recovery than trying to suppress the virus and live with it which hasn’t really worked very well in the past.”
Fijian epidemiologist doctor Donald Wilson said the country is overwhelmed by the pandemic.
He warned the current trend of infections could force officials to make “unethical medical decisions”.
“The worry is that when the health system becomes overwhelmed, when it cannot any longer peak in lots of patients who have severe disease, then unfortunately like what has been happening in other countries where doctors have to do the unethical thing of needing to choose who to put on ventilators and who not to.”
Fiji PM Frank Bainimarama visited the Covid-19 testing facility in Suva. Photo: Facebook / Fiji government
Dr Wilson said a mass vaccination campaign aims to immunise 600,000 Fijians by November this year.
Close to half a million Fijians or 84.4 percent of the target population have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while just over 158,000 or 27 percent have got both jabs.
The head of Fiji’s vaccination taskforce, Dr Rachel Devi, said the only good news is the Moderna vaccine, now in the country, is also effective against the Delta variant, the UK variant and the Wuhan strain of the virus.
“We have important strategies in terms of how or when and where we roll this out across the country. This would definitely boost it up especially right now we weren’t vaccinating our pregnant women with the AstraZeneca unless these individuals consented. But I know there’s quite a lot of build-up in that area now. There’s a lot on safety reasons as well.”
Meanwhile, an Australia-based Fijian academic warns Fiji is suffering its worst medical, social and economic crisis since the measles epidemic of 1875 which led to the deaths of a third of the country’s population.
Professor Wadan Narsey said this could have been avoided had the government listened to the best medical advice – not just in Fiji, but also from its major partners New Zealand and Australia.
He said Fiji’s tragedy stems from its heath system being unable to cope with the crisis and has seen deaths soar to over 260, and climbing.
This story appeared on One News / TVNZ and is republished with permission
We’re in Te Whanganui-a-Tara to meet three wāhine who work with taonga puoro (traditional Māori musical instruments). We ask why these taonga almost disappeared and what their dreams are for the future of the practice.
The members of Maianginui discuss the challenges involved when carving out spaces for wāhine Māori in music and other art communities.
They discuss the common misconceptions of the roles that atua wāhine played in our pūrākau and origin narratives, both of taonga puoro and other instruments of traditional Māori existence.
It is apparent that there is still mahi needed surrounding the erasure of atua wāhine and wāhine Māori in te ao hurihuri.
This is episode one of He Kākano Ahau Season 2: Wawatatia, a podcast hosted by Kahu Kutia.
You can listen to the full 40-minute podcast here, or search “He Kākano Ahau” on any podcast app to subscribe to the series.
May we boundlessly dream of possibilities beyond our wildest imaginations. May we weave communities of support, compassion and active solidarity. With our history in front of us, and our tūpuna at our shoulders, may we walk into a future that is connected and thriving for us all. This is He Kākano Ahau Season 2: Wawatatia.
By One News / TVNZ and is republished with permission
Dame Valerie Adams didn’t know why she kept looking up into the stands and imagining her children during the women’s shot put final in Tokyo yesterday.
What she does know is it helped her claim a historic bronze medal.
“In a normal world they would’ve been there watching and it would’ve been great but it was just awesome to draw that energy from that feeling that I had in just imagining them up there,” Dame Valerie told media after the final.
“It was just knowing, ‘there goes my why’ and wanting to make them proud.
“It was an emotional day and an awesome day for me and my little family.”
Dame Valerie Adams reacts after winning bronze in the women’s shot put final. Source: Getty
During the media conference, Dame Valerie had a photo of her two young children attached to a lanyard so they could be part of the experience.
“This is my why. These two children are my why and I hope I just made them proud.”
Heading into the last round of the final, Dame Valerie was sitting in the bronze medal position thanks to her third attempt of 19.62m.
Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo was right on her tail though, having thrown 19.57m in round four.
Thanks to the seeding in the first three rounds, Dongmo would make her final attempt just before Adams, meaning the Kiwi would enter her final throw knowing whether she needed to beat the Portuguese athlete or if she had already won a medal.
As it turned out, Dame Valerie got to make her last attempt knowing she’d already earned a place on the podium with Dongmo only managing 19.45m with her final effort.
The moment wasn’t lost on the Kiwi who couldn’t contain her emotions after her final throw.
“It was just the feeling, the release of ‘we did it’,” Dame Valerie said, reflecting on the moment.
“I was extremely emotional in that moment, just reflecting on what had happened in the last five years, what it’s taken to be here, how much work it had taken, the many travels up and down the country to make this happen, being away from my children to make this happen.
“I guess that all just surfaced at the very moment of knowing you’ve secured a medal and that all came out at that very moment and I couldn’t contain it.
“It was such an amazing feeling – it may have looked a bit intense from home but it was just so amazing. It was almost like a release of energy.”
Adams finished behind American Raven Saunders and Olympic champion Lijiao Gong from China.
The temporary release of the jailed fraudster Lavulavu couple last week has opened the Prison Commissioner’s power to make such decisions to criticism.
(L-R) Prison Commissioner Sēmisi Tapueluelu, ‘Etuate Lavulavu and Akosita Lavulavu
Critics were seriously concerned about the timing of the release, saying it was too early.
Chief Justice Michael Whitten denied the Lavulavus’ bail bid on July 9 while awaiting their appeal application to be heard either in September this year or March 2022.
Critics were baffled by the release because in sentencing ‘Etuate Lavulavu, the Supreme Court judge said he posed a risk of re-offending as his offences were not out of character and was known to be deceitful.
Some argued that the Prison Commissioner Tapueluelu’s decision has downplayed the seriousness of the couple’s offending.
Tapueluelu’s decision has been blasted as showing lack of respect for the presiding Supreme Court judge and the Chief Justice’s judgement of the case.
The couple did not show any sign of remorse during their trial and persistently insisted that they were innocent. The judge described their crime after plundering more than half a million pa’anga from international-funded government school funding scheme as “the worst sort of dishonesty.”
The judge said ‘Akosita had supplied false references, something the pre-sentence report described as “an act of dishonesty which further proves her true character.”
Fear for another early release
Some fear the decision to allow the Lavulavus to go home might set a precedent for letting them out well before the end of their six-year jail term.
Commissioner Tapueluelu said the release was legal and was part of the prison’s rehabilitation programme for all prisoners. He said the Lavulavus were released for only three hours. He said they were accompanied by two prison officers in a prison vehicle during the visit to their home.
As Kaniva News reported on Friday a member of the public spotted a marked prison vehicle parking at the Lavulavus’ residence before taking a photo of it. It was then uploaded to social media before it was widely shared to Facebook which sparked huge public outrage on social media.
Concerning
The Lavulavu’s temporary release has drawn concern because there appears to have been no serious grounds on which to release the couple.
The Commissioner said the Lavulavus were released after they asked to go home because they had various commitments which had been left unfinished.
In Tongan he said: ““ngaahi me’a kehekehe pe ‘oku te’eki ai ke tukunga lelei.”
He also appeared to have provided conflicting information about the couple’s situation by saying this was the first time for them to be let out, but he also said they had previously been released to have their Covid-19 vaccination done.
He also appeared to be uncertain about his response before saying that if somebody has evidence that the Lavulavus were previously released they should come forward and prove it.
Leave permission
Tapueluelu said that as Prison Commissioner he could consider allowing a prisoner to take leave and be released unsupervised after serving six months of their imprisonment term.
For the Lavulavu couple, he said they had been allowed to go home, but because they had not spent six months in prison, they were accompanied by prison officers.
Tonga’s Prison Act says the Commissioner “may, by order in writing, grant a prisoner leave to be absent from the prison in which he is being detained for (d) compassionate purposes as the Commissioner thinks fit; or (e) any other purpose as the Commissioner thinks fit.”
Political circus
Unfortunately, while the Commissioner has relied on the Act to defend his decision, he finds himself in the unenviable position of being in the midst of a political circus.
As a number of former Police Commissioners have found, civil servants are constrained as to what they can say and must stand by while political questions are raised and accusations are made.
In this case some people have argued that the section of the Prison act upon which the Commissioner relied leaves his office open to pressure from politicians.
There is no evidence whatsoever that the Commissioner was influenced by anyone in his decision making. However, as a Cabinet appointee answerable to Justice Minister Sāmiu Vaipulu, there is the risk that the Commissioner will be the subject of political speculation and accusation.
This is, sadly, even more likely given Prime Minister Tu’ionetoa’s earlier behaviour with regards to the Lavulavus. The Prime Minister devoted an enormous amount of time defending former Infrastructure and Tourism Minister ‘Akosita Lavulavu.
Hon. Tu’ionetoa even criticised the Supreme Court’s ruling by saying “it is not easy to judge others because that decision was made by a sinner as they have lack of experience and wisdom from God.”
Given his inability to defend himself by commenting publicly, it would help considerably if Vaipulu issued a public statement acknowledging Commissioner Tapueluelu’s absolute integrity in discharging his duties.
It would also help calm down the general atmosphere surrounding this case greatly if the Prime Minister released a statement guaranteeing that there had not been nor would there be any political interference in the Prison Commissioner’s work.
FAKAMA’OPO’OPO FAKATONGA
Na’e pehē ‘e he Komisiona Pilisone’ Sēmisi Tapueluelu ‘oku fakalao pe ‘a ‘ene tu’utu’uni ke tuku ange ki tu’a ‘i ha houa ‘e tolu ‘a e ongo mātu’a Lavulavu’ he uike kuo ‘osi’ hili ‘eni ‘a hono ‘ikai tali ‘e he ‘Eiki Fakamaau Lahi’ ‘ena kole ke na ‘atā pe ki ‘api ‘o tatali ai ki he’ena tangi kuo fai’.
Ko e me’a na’e ‘ikai fakamahino mai ‘e Tapueluelu’ ko e kupu’i lao ko ‘eni’ ne makatu’unga ai ‘ene tu’utu’uni’ kupu 46 ‘o e Lao Pilīsone’ ‘oku’ ne tala mai ko hono tuku ange ‘o ha taha pōpula hangē ko e ongo Lavulavu’ ‘e makatu’unga ia ‘i he fakakaukau lelei pe konisenisi mo’ui’ ‘o e komisiona’. ‘Oku fakalea fakapālangi ‘eni he lao’ ‘o pehē – as the commissioner thinks fit.
‘Oku ‘ekea leva heni ‘a e makatu’unga ‘ene faitu’utu’uni ke tuku ange kei hengihengi toki uike ‘e ua pe nai ‘eni ‘ena ‘i pilīsone’. Na’e fakamatala’i mahino ‘e he Fakamaau Lahi ko Cooper ‘a e mātu’aki mamafa ‘o e hia ne fai ‘e he ongo Lavulavu’ pea toe fai ‘e he ‘Eiki Fakamaau Lahi Whitten ‘a e fakamatala tatau ‘o tu’unga ai ‘a e ‘ikai ke ne tali ke peila kinaua ki tu’a ‘o tali tangi ai.
Ko Akosita, makehe mei he’ene kākaa’i e pa’anga ‘a e pule’anga’ na’a’ ne toe fa’u ‘a e ngaahi tohi fakamo’oni loi ke taukapo’i’aki ia ‘i ha tala tu’utu’uni ‘a e fakamaau lahi’ pea ne pehē ai ‘e he fakamāu’ kuo toki e’ee’a ai ‘a e lanu totonu ‘o e fefine’ ni.
Ko ‘Etuate na’e pehē ‘e he fakamaau lahi ko e tangata ia ‘e toe faihia pe ia (reoffending) he ne ‘ikai ko ha me’afo’ou ia ki hono sino’ ‘a e loi mo e kākaa’.
Ko e tu’utu’uni’ a Tapueluelu’ ‘oku ava ai e matapā ke fakaanga’i ‘a e lao pilīsone’ he ‘oku’ ne ‘oange ‘a e fu’u mafai faka’aufuli ki he komisiona toko taha ke ne fai ha tu’utu’uni ‘e ala lau ‘oku hangē kuo’ ne ta’etoka’i ‘a e ngāue ma’ongo’onga ‘a e pule tolu ‘o e fonua’ pe fakamaau’anga’ ke fakapapau’i ‘oku tautea’i a’ua’u ‘a e kakai fai hia lalahi ‘o e fonua’.
‘Oku mahino ‘i he tu’utu’uni ‘a Tapueluelu na’e ‘ikai ha ‘uhinga malohi fau mo fefeka ke tuku ange ai ‘a e ongo Lavulavu ki tu’a ‘o ne tala ki he mitia’ ko ‘ena ō ki honau ‘api’ tu’unga pe he ngaahi me’a ne te’eki tukunga mālie.
Na’e ‘osi ‘ave kotoa ‘e he ongo Lavulavu ‘a e ngaahi ‘uhinga ta’e tukunga mālie ko ‘eni’ ki he fakamaau lahi kau ai ‘a e pehē ‘oku ‘i ai ‘ena fānau’ ‘o kole ‘aki ke na ‘atā pe ki tu’a ‘o tali hopo tangi ai. Ka ne ‘ikai tali ia ‘e he ‘e he ‘Eiki Fakamaau Lahi’. Pehē ‘e he ‘Eiki Fakamaau Lahi’ na’e tonu ke na ‘uluaki fakakaukau’i ‘ena fānau’i pea ne toki fakahoko ‘a e hia’. He’ikai ke na ō faihia pea na fakamu’omu’a mai ‘ena fānau ko ha paletu’a ke malu’i’aki kinaua.
‘Oku hanga ‘e he tu’utu’uni ‘a Tapueluelu’ ‘i he malumalu ‘o e kupu’i lao pilisone ko ‘eni ‘o fakama’ama’a’i ‘a e tu’utu’uni ‘a e pule tolu ‘o e fonua’ pea ‘e ala lau hangē ha ta’efaka’apa’apa’.
‘I hono tautea’i ‘o e ongo Lavulavu na’e pehē ‘e he fakamaau lahi’ ko e hia na’a na fakahoko’ ko e kovi taha ‘eni ‘o e ngaahi hia ta’efaitotonu kuo faka’ilo he fonua’. ‘Ikai ha’ana momo’i fakatomala pe kole fakamolemole pea na vili kikihi pe ‘ena tonuhia’ neongo e mahulu atu ‘a e ngaahi fakamo’oni ko e hia ko ‘eni ne na fakahoko’ ne na kaungāfai tokoua pe ai.
Ko e toki uike pe ‘eni ‘e ua nai ‘e na ‘i he ‘aofinima ‘o Tapueluelu kuo tuku ange kinaua ia ke na ma’u e tau’atāina ‘o e kakai fai lelei’ neongo ko e houa ‘e tolu.
Ko e hā e me’asivi falala’anga ne ngāue’aki ‘e Tapueluelu ke ne falala ke tuku ange e ongo faihia lalahi ko ‘eni ke na ō ki honau ‘api ‘i he ki’i fo’i uike pe ‘e ua ko eni kuo nau feohi ai?
Kapau kuo’ ne faka’atā kei hengihengi pe ‘a e ongo Lavulavu’ ‘i loto he uike ua ko ‘eni’ pea ‘oku ‘i ai e tui lahi ‘e ‘ikai fuoloa mei heni kuo’ ne faka’atā ‘e ia ke foaki ha livi (leave) ‘a e ongo Lavulavu ke na ‘atā ā ki tu’a. ‘A ia ko e mafai fakalao ‘eni ‘oku ma’u ‘e he pule pilīsone’ hili ha māhna ‘e ono ha ngāue pōpula ‘a ha taha.
‘Oku lelei pe ia ke ‘i ai ha lao pehē, ka ko hono foaki mola ke faitu’utu’uni toko taha ‘a e Komisiona’ ‘oku mōhū fili ia. ‘Oku totonu ke ‘i ai ha pēnolo pea tataki ‘e ha fakamaau pe mataotao he lao’ ke nau fai ‘a e tu’utu’uni ke toki faka’atā ha taha pehē hangē ko e ongo Lavulavu.
‘Oku palopalema ‘a e pikitai ‘a Tapueluelu ki he lao’ ‘o ‘asi mai hanngē ‘oku ne pehē ko e me’afua tonu taha pe ia mo ta’ele’eia ke ne ngāue’aki he ‘oku ‘ikai ke hoko pehē ma’u pe ia. Ko e konisenisi mo’ui’ ‘a e me’afua lelei taha’.
Ko e fiha’i lao ‘eni ‘a e pule’anga’ hono tamate’i pe liliu pe fakatonutonu mai ‘e he fakamaau’anga ‘oku hala pea na’e ‘ikai tonu ke fa’u ha lao pehē.
Na’e toki ‘osi ni e tu’ukaivi mai ‘a e ‘Eiki Palēmia’ ‘o taukave’i e kupu 23 ‘o e konisitūtone’ ‘oku ne ‘oange e totonu ‘a Akosita ke kei minisitā pe mei Hu’atolitoli kae ‘oualeva kuo mahino ‘ene tangi’. Ka ko e hā e me’a ne hoko’ ne iku holomui ‘a e palēmia mo ‘ene kupu 23 kae fekau ke fakafisi leva ‘a Akosita. Ko e taha e ‘uhinga ki heni’ ko e mahino ki he palēmia ‘oku fepaki ‘a e konisitūtone filifilimānako kupu 23 mo hono konisēnisi mo’ui na’e foaki ‘e he ‘Otua’.
Ko ia ‘oku totonu ki he kau taki pule’anga’ ke nau fai fakapotopoto ‘a ‘enau faitu’utu’uni’ ‘o fakatatau mo honau konisēnisi’ he ko e me’afua ia ‘oku haohaoa pea tolonga’.
Neongo hono fakatonuhia’i ‘e Tapueluelu ‘ene tu’utu’uni ‘aki e lao’ ka ‘oku’ fakaava ‘e ia heni foki ‘a e matapā ke sio atu ai ‘a e kakai’ ki hono tu’unga mo ‘ene felāve’i mo e kau politiki ‘a e pule’anga’. He ko e tangata ngāue ia ne fokotu’u ‘i he mafai ‘o e kapineti’. Ko ‘ene komisiona’ ‘oku ne ‘i he malumalu ai ‘o e minsitā polisi’ ‘a Looti Nuku pea mo e ‘Eiki Palēmia ‘o e fonua’.
Ne ‘ikai puli ki he tokolahi ‘a e tu’ukaivi ‘a e palēmia’ ‘i hono tauvake’i mo malu’i ‘a Akosita’.
Neongo ‘oku ‘ikai ha fakamo’oni ki ha kaunga ‘a e palēmia mo minisitā polisi’ ki he tu’utu’uni ko ‘eni ‘a Tapueluelu ka ‘e sio pehē atu ‘a e kau fakaanga’ he ko ‘ene kei ‘i he lakanga’ mo ha’ane toe hokohoko atu ‘e ‘i he mafai ia ‘o e kapineti’ mo e PSC.
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