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“No one registered PTOA name…we are free to do what we do,” says Movement Leader after Party warns followers against inducing voters

By
Kalino Latu
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A leader of the PTOA Global Movement has rejected a warning by the Democratic Party and said they were free to help people who were in urgent needs in Tonga.

PTOA Party Leader Semisi Sika (L), PTOA Global Movement Leader Sharon Minna Sekona

Sharon Minna Sekona said no one had trademarked the name PTOA (Democratic Party) and no legal body owned it.

Her statements came after the Party’s core team released a statement last week saying the Party was told people had built houses, staged fundraising, offered gifts and donated food under the PTOA name.

The statement said the Party had not authorised any of these activities  and they were not aligned with what founder ‘Akilisi Pohiva had set out in the Party’s manifesto.

The statement said  Pohiva had taught that the nation could not be built with offering freebies.

“The will of the people could not be bought using goods or money. The will of the people can only be influenced by enlightenment and knowledge,” it said in Tongan.

“Therefore if anyone or group departs from what ‘Akilisi has taught, they could be regarded as betrayers and misleading people. They have departed the Party’s mission and vision.”

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Sekona took to Facebook and blasted Party Leader Semisi Sika for releasing a statement she described as dictatorial and illegal .

She said the Movement supported pushes for a more democratic system in Tonga by providing assistance and help for those who were in urgent needs.

She said they did this through donations and assistances from Tongans overseas to help the poor in Tonga.

The Party’s statement has infuriated some of the Movement’s followers who vowed not to vote for the Party MPs in the coming election.

Meanwhile, supporters of the Party MPs including the PTOA International Movement said the Core team had made the right call.

“Oil and water don’t mix,” said Rev ‘Inoke Masima on the International Movement’s page, referring to the relationship between the Global Movement and the Party.

Last month Kaniva News reported that the PTOA Global Movement had launched a Housing for the Poor scheme, with new houses in Veitongo and one in Holeva, Vava’u.

They were funded by the PTOA Global Movement in collaboration with PTOA Auckland Aotearoa and some chapters in New Zealand and Australia.

The president of the PTOA Auckland Aotearoa chapter, Vainikolo Taufa, said the housing was an attempt to put the late Prime Minister’s mission into practice.

Rifts

There have been rifts in the Democratic movement  since the Party’s core team was heavily criticised by the Global team after a meeting in April to decide the fate of MP Mateni Tapueluelu.

The Party later said Hon. Tapueluelu was forgiven but never released any information of why he was forgiven after he was accused of causing the Party to lose the government after the death of ‘Akilisi Pohiva.

Opinion: Democracy, human rights and respect: Big lessons to be learned from a small meeting

By
Kalino Latu
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Opinion: Last Saturday  night’s meeting with candidates in Ōtāhuhu showed that some people have a long way to go when it comes to mastering the basics of democracy.

Members of the Tongan community in Auckland meeting with the candidates last Saturday in Ōtāhuhu. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva Tonga)

Tongans know all too well how long and hard the struggle was to install democracy in Tonga and how bitterly those reforms were fought by the old guard.

They only have to look over the seas to Fiji to see a strong Pacific nation that faced years of coups or to Papua New Guinea where corruption and political violence  are a way of life.

In New Zealand, things are different. In New Zealand universal human rights are respected and there is democracy and free and open elections in which every eligible person can participate. That is something to cherish.

Unfortunately,  it seems some people still need to know this if they want to be properly part of New Zealand life.

One way to show how much they appreciate the gift of democracy is for people to show respect for it.

On Saturday night some people used the evening to ignore the agenda and push their own ideas without considering what was at stake.

The meeting was meant to give everybody the chance to hear what candidates had to say and to ask questions. However, some people at the meeting took up the question time by thanking their favourite politicians for coming and demonstrating their political loyalty.

That used up the time when people could have been finding out more about the candidates’ policies and intentions.

People living in New Zealand need to understand what a gift it is to be able to meet candidates openly and to be able to ask questions. That is not something that happens everywhere. Our readers will know that in Tonga there have been complaints about how such meetings are conducted, with allegations of political figures manipulating the proceedings.

Democracy is a gift and it’s one that should be treasured and shared, even by doing something as simple as not wasting question time at a meeting.

Candidates also need to know how to use these meetings wisely.

Saturday’s meeting was not the first time we have seen candidates use the time simply to attack Labour candidates and their supporters.

As we reported yesterday, the Labour Party has always been strongly favoured by voters from Pasifika backgrounds. While there are no exact figures to show how many Tongans vote Labour, it is still popular in our community.

In the past we have seen some parties putting up Tongan candidates against sitting Labour members. There were even claims that one candidate somehow had royal approval, but that did not help him.

It is natural that opposition parties will attack the government, but if that is all they do, they will not succeed. People will listen to ideas and proposals, but do not respond well to a barrage of negativity.

Instead of just attacking, why don’t these candidates come and tell the community the benefits they will receive if they choose their parties rather than disappointing Labour supporters?

If they made use of that one hour meeting to explain their policies well and their benefits to listeners some Labour supporters might convert and vote for them instead.

Two other issues stood out from Saturday night.

One was that people need to understand that referendums are  part of the political process in New Zealand. The two referendums being voted for are being presented as part of the election. One is from ACT and the other is from the Greens and they did not have universal support from Labour MPs.

However, the government will have to accept whatever the results of the vote will be.

Many people may oppose the two referendums, but if they pass, they have to be accepted. It’s part of the process of democracy and the recognition of universal human rights that goes with it.

The other issue is that some church leaders and their activists need to understand democracy better.

A pastor told Labour Member for Manukau East Jenny Salesa during the meeting that he was really concerned about the passing in Parliament of the End of Life Act. He said only God could decide when life should be ended.

After the Second World War II the United Nations issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to guide its member states on how to respect people’s rights and build strong democracies. In countries like New Zealand those rights form part of the political culture of the country.

The Declaration is the only document that can serve everyone equally no matter what political, cultural, and religious beliefs they have. Religions cannot serve everyone equally because they differ in their beliefs.

To have candidates and their supporters attacking Labour because they claim they are against Tongan values and Christianity faith is not wise. After all, there are Tongans who are Muslims or Bahai.

Saturday night’s meeting was a small part in the bigger picture of this year’s national elections in New Zealand, but it raised big issues that some people still need to learn.

Internship students attend induction in Wellington

By
Kaniva Staff
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Three students from Tonga were among a group of university students who met with Pacific
Cooperation Foundation chair John Fiso and PCF Partnerships and Special Projects Officer Laree Taula earlier this month.

Pictured from left were Bryan Wasuka (Solomon Islands), Grace Ailua-Paie (Samoa), Siuola Vaipuna (Tonga), PCF Chair Fiso John Fiso, Young Jin Choi (Solomon Islands), Maryann Olive Penn (Samoa), Fugalaau Mafi (Tonga), Meleteukialupe Soakai (Tonga) and PCF Partnerships and Special Projects Officer Laree Taula.

The students are part of the 2020/2021 intake for the PCF New Zealand Scholarship Internship programme which will officially launch on Friday 13 November.

The students are all studying at Victoria University in Wellington and were attending their internship induction.

Government signs agreement to purchase 1.5m Covid-19 vaccines, enough for 750k people

By
Kaniva Staff
-

This story originally appeared on TVNZ and is republished with permission

The Government has signed an agreement to purchase 1.5 million Covid-19 vaccines, enough for 750,000 people, from Pfizer and BioNTech.

1 NEWS
Covid-19 vaccine (file photo). Source: 1 NEWS

The agreement is subject to the vaccine successfully completing all clinical trials and passing regulatory approvals in New Zealand, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods and Health Minister Chris Hipkins announced today.

“Our first vaccine purchase agreement has been signed and it brings to fruition some of the critical work going on behind the scenes to keep New Zealanders safe from Covid-19,” Woods said.

“As part of the agreement, vaccine delivery to New Zealand could be as early as the first quarter of 2021. This is just the first tranche of work in a multi-pronged approach to ensuring we secure vaccines for New Zealanders.

“Provided the vaccine is approved for use here in New Zealand by Medsafe, it is possible that some doses will be available to us in the first part of 2021.”

The Covid-19 Vaccine Strategy Task Force is currently negotiating with other pharmaceutical companies, and further announcements are expected in November, Woods said.

“The agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech is the first of a number of negotiations underway as part of our portfolio approach, and good progress is being made in relation to other purchasing negotiations. The additional agreements will ensure that once the portfolio is completed, we will have sufficient Covid-19 vaccines for the whole population,” Woods said.

“A key aim of our portfolio approach is to ensure we have flexibility and choice when it comes to securing the right vaccines for New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours,” Woods said.

It has yet to be decided who would receive the first available vaccines.

“Work at the Ministry of Health is currently underway to determine what an immunisation programme roll-out might look like. A number of factors will influence who will receive what vaccines and when, such as trial data on the suitability of each vaccine for certain age groups,” Hipkins said.

A fund of $66.3 million has been established to ensure Aotearoa is ready for a Covid-19 immunisation programme as soon as there is a vaccine.

Chasing dream leads to awards of nine students at Tuitui fashion and sewing  

By
Kalino Latu
-

Nine students at the Tuitui Fashion Academy have received their Level One Achievement Certificates after completing six months’ training at the Auckland’s school.

  • Siutaisa Fine Tongaonevai
  • ‘Alai Lelenoa
  • Tuitui Folauhola, Director of Tuitui Fashion Academy (Left), Mele ‘Uta’atu
  • Elenoa Vahai (Right)
  • Konifelenisi Bansal
  • Suitileilani Tu’utafaiva
  • Linda Lavaki
  • Olive Ramanlal Vullabh (Right)
  • Ma’ata Tu’akalau (Right)

The successful women completed a number of modules, including skills such as Measurement, Academic,  sewing of Women and Men’s wear Normal Dress, Pacific Wear, Off the shoulder, Suit Jacket, Evening Gowns, Shirt and Suit and Russian Collar.

In an award function last Saturday night at Three Kings, the smiling students were seen dancing and holding their certificates during the two-hour event.

“This is my dream while I was young,” Tuitui Folauhola, the Director of the Academy told guests.

“When I saw my mum’s leftover pieces of clothing, I put them into the sewing machine and sewed it.”

Folauhola, from Ha’ateiho and Pea, Tongatapu moved to New Zealand from Tonga in 1988 and worked in a number of sewing factories.   She later enrolled at Sewtec, now known as the New Zealand School of Arts and Fashions in 2011 and successfully completed the requirements for the National Certificate in Clothing Manufacture(Design and Patternmaking)Level 4 and 5.

She saw some Pacific island women could not complete the courses at Sewtec due to a number of reasons and she thought she might able to assist them.  As an island woman she understood their situation in the island ways, she said.

“I thought my experience would really help these women to become successful in a very simple way of teaching,” Folauhola said.

Folauhola has been supervised by Trilise Cooper, a New Zealand fashion designer whose  designs have been featured in magazines such as Vogue, Marie Claire, Women’s Wear Daily, In Style and the television series Sex and the City.

The academy was launched in March this year and started with 12 women.

Nine of them received their awards while three were expected to complete their Level One certificates soon.

The academy now has 42 students, all of whom are women.

“I would like to thank all these women who started my academy,” Folauhola said.

“Without you this reef would never have become an island.”

Tongan community leader wants details on how Australian budget will help workers

By
Philip Cass
-

A Tongan community leader in Australia says the Australian government needs to be clear how new budget measures will help support migrant workers.

Rev. Loni Vaitohi from the Shepparton Uniting Church works closely with Tongan seasonal workers and has welcomed the funding, but has questions about how it will work.

“So it would be good when they say for the welfare of the migrant workers what they think for the physical, spiritual, mental health,” the Tongan-born pastor said.

About Aus$9 million has been allocated over the next three years for the welfare of Pacific seasonal workers, but it is unclear what form that support will take.

“I think the assurance measures should cover pastoral work for migrant workers,” Rev. Vaitohi told the ABC’s Pacific Beat.

Rev. Vaitohi welcomed suggestions that workers employed under the Pacific Labour scheme, like those in his northern Victorian parish,  would have the option to have visas extended for up to 12 months.

He said it would benefit seasonal workers and farmers, many of whom are dealing with a shortage of farm workers.

“Most of the people who have come to this area have been here before so the farmers are happy because they are learning new skills and they don’t want to have to teach them every year,” he said.

Many Tongan workers have been stranded in Australia because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

However, the government has relaxed restrictions that have allowed them to find new jobs with different farms and employers.

Latest episode in Lord Nuku case raises issues that must be acknowledged and resolved

By
Kalino Latu
-

Kaniva Commentary

Yesterday’s report on the Land Court ruling against Lord Nuku has led to calls from Democrats  for the Noble to stand down as Police Minister.

Democrat supporters also said it raised serious questions about trust in the government.

It has also revived questions dating to 2017 about the fairness of the Constitution to all Tongan MPs and political candidates.

As Kaniva News reported yesterday Lord Chief Justice Whitten said in his summary of a Land Court decision that Lord Nuku had refused to co-operate with the court, tried to cover up his real financial position and tried to avoid responsibility for millions of pa’anga worth of debt.

Judge Whitten made the comments in his summary of a hearing of an application to have an earlier judgement against Lord Nuku enforced.

The court heard that Lord Nuku owed just over TP$4 million.

In 2017 Judge Scott ordered Lord Nuku, Yanjian Group Co and Yanjian Tonga Limited to pay Lord Luani TP$5,556,000.

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The amount was later reduced to TP$3,380,335 with costs and interest at the rate of 10% per annum from that date until satisfied.

In his summary of the proceedings, Lord Chief Justice Whitten said that Lord Nuku had failed to provide any documents supporting his claims about his financial status.

“I conclude that it is more likely than not that Lord Nuku has or has had other significant sources of income which he has not disclosed or not fully disclosed in this proceeding,” the judge said.

“In that regard, I note that the entries in the one bank statement produced bear no resemblance to the levels of financial transactions about which Lord Nuku gave evidence.

“That observation alone reinforces the view that it is more likely than not that he holds, or has held, personally or beneficially, other accounts or has otherwise dealt in substantial cash amounts which have not been disclosed in this proceeding.

“For those reasons, I am of the view that upon analysis of the available evidence, it is reasonable to infer that Lord Nuku’s actual income is very likely to be substantially greater than just his Parliamentary salary, and housing and nobles allowances.”

Trust

Commenting on the Global Democracy Movement Facebook page, Democrat supporters claimed the Prime Minister needed to understand that the situation had caused the public to lose hope and trust in him.

They said the situation has caused the public to mock the government and fear there was growing complacency about law and order.

They said that as a Minister Lord Nuku should lead by example and present a good image of the country. The Police Ministry was one of the most important portfolios and its leaders should have clean records.

Online discussions have encompassed comparisons with the dismissal of MP ‘Akosita Lavulavu by the late Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva after the then Minister of Internal Affairs was charged for obtaining by false pretenses and three counts of knowingly dealing with forged documents. Lavulavu who is still awaiting court hearings, is the current Minister of Tourism and Infrastructure. 

Debaters also discussed the case of former Prime Minister and Speaker Lord Tu’ivakanō who received a suspended sentence and a fine for passport, perjury and firearm offences. After his sentencing he still held his seat in Parliament.

They also discussed the charges laid in 2010 against Lord Tu’ilakepa, the then Speaker of Parliament, after Australian police alleged that he was conspiring with the South American drug lord, Obeil Antonio Zuluaga Gomez, to ship cocaine to Tonga to sell in markets in Australia and China. Prosecutors in Tonga later withdrew the charges against  Lord Tu’ilakepa due to the complexity of the case. Lord Tu’ilakepa is now the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. 

Constitution

The Land Court ruling once again raises constitutional and legal issues.

In his comments on the Land Court judgement, Lord Chief Justice Whitten  said the next general election was due in November 2021. Clause 65 of the Constitution provided that any person qualified to stand for Parliament could nominate as a candidate and be elected, unless an order had been made against them  in any court in the Kingdom for the payment of a specific sum of money and the whole or any part of the money owed remained outstanding on the day they submitted their nomination paper.

“Accordingly, if by the time of nominations for the next general election, Lord Nuku has not paid or otherwise secured a release of the judgment debt, it is unlikely he will be eligible to stand for re-election,”  the judge said.

As we reported in May 2017, Lord Nuku’s original conviction led to speculation that he would lose his title.

Under Clause 23 of the constitution, no civil servant or Member of Parliament convicted of a criminal offence can hold office under the government or be qualified to vote for nor to be elected a representative of the Legislative Assembly, unless he has received from the King a pardon, together with a declaration that he is free from the provisions of this clause.

The Land Act section 37 also states that if a noble has been convicted in the Supreme Court, he can be stripped of his title along with his estate.

However, Acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu said at the time that Clause 23 of the constitution and Section 37 of the Land Acts only applied if the Noble was convicted in the Supreme Court of criminal offences that entailed a jail sentence of two years or more.

The Acting Attorney General said Lord Nuku was not convicted in the Supreme Court of criminal offence. He was convicted and sentence in a civil court case and so he would retain his title and estate.

In November 27 the Acting attorney General said Lord Nuku’s debts would not affect his election to Parliament unless the constitution was changed,

He said Clause 65 of the Tongan Constitution stipulated that a candidate for Parliamentary elections had to get a written clearance from the Supreme Court and Magistrates Court showing they had no record of outstanding order before they could register to become a candidate.

Hon. Kefu said that clause did not apply to the Noble’s Members of Parliament.

“The prohibition was only intended for the people’s Parliamentary representatives,” Kefu told Kaniva News.

The Acting Attorney General said the prohibition counted from the day the candidates submitted their “letter” to register as candidates.

“There is no such “letter” to be handed in by the nobility,” he said.

It is unlikely that the dispute between Lord Nuku and Lord Luani has seen its last day in court.

While the eventual financial outcome will be a matter for the courts, the issues it has raised are political and constitutional. The government, of course, cannot interfere in the courts, but it must at least acknowledge that there is concern, in some sectors at any rate, about the propriety of Lord Nuku’s Parliamentary position.

More importantly, the case continues to raise questions about whether or not the rules regarding eligibility to stand for Parliament are applied equally to Nobles and commoners. There is also the matter of why a difference is made between a criminal and a civil  judgement, especially one in which such enormous amounts of money are involved. These are matters that must be resolved.

Truck submerged in Neiafu after boating mishap at Puatalefusi water

By
Kalino Latu
-

A pick up truck in Neiafu was found completely submerged in water at about 4pm this afternoon.

Neiafu Town Officer Vāvā Lapota said the truck was expected to tow a boat at a launching ramp near Puatalefusi wharf before the incident occured.

It was unclear whether the truck was dragged into the water by the boat or it slid before it plunged into the sea.

Lapota said it was raining and the ramp was slippery.

The boat ramp was notoriously known for its slipperiness and there were boating mishaps there before in which vehicles had been accidentally dragged into the sea, he said.

Photos of the submerged pickup truck and the boat have been shared on social media.

No reports of injuries.

The incident comes after a truck smashed into the MV  Taka’ipōmana vessel  while it was about to depart for Tongatapu last month.

In August a road roller overturned and fell into the sea at Vaipua bridge in Neiafu.

Judge declares Police Minister Lord Nuku’s evidence unreliable; tried to hide his real financial status  in dispute over TP$4 million debt

By
Philip Cass
-

Tonga’s Minister of Police Lord Nuku refused to co-operate with the Land Court, tried to cover up his real financial position and tried to avoid responsibility for millions of pa’anga worth of debt, the Land Court has been told.

Lord Chief Justice Whitten made the comments in his summary of a hearing of an application to have an earlier judgement against Lord Nuku enforced.

The court heard that Lord Nuku owed just over TP$4 million and had earlier been the subject of a foreclosure order  by the BSP bank over a debt of nearly TP$500,000.

The judgement in the Land Court was the latest stage of a long running dispute involving Lord Nuku, a Chinese company and Lord Luani.

On 5 May 2017 Scott J gave judgment in favour of Lord Luani against Lord Nuku, Yanjian Group Co and Yanjian Tonga Limited, jointly and severally, for damages for trespass to land in the sum of TP$5,556,000.

On September 6, 2017 the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal by and set aside the judgment against Yanjian Tonga Ltd.

The Court also allowed the appeal by Lord Nuku and Yanjian Group Co, in part, by reducing the damages award to TP$3,380,335 with costs and interest at the rate of 10% per annum from that date until satisfied.

Yanjian Group Co has since been wound up.

READ MORE:

Enforced

Earlier this year Lord Luani applied for the judgement to be enforced by an attachment of Lord Nuku’s salary as an MP.

Because the ruling appeared to be the first of its kind in the kingdom, Lord Chief Justice Whitten had taken guidance from the current UK rules of civil procedure.

In April 2020, Lord Nuku submitted information to the court on his financial status. Included was a letter from the BSP Bank stating that it had foreclosed on a loan and demanded repayment of TP$484,871.16 with interest.

Lord Nuku offered to pay TP$576 per week towards the judgement made against him, which would total  TP$30,000 per annum. He noted that Lord Luani was in the process of enforcing the judgment debt against Yianjian Group Co which he described as “a substantial Chinese company who made money out of the quarry.”

Deputy CEO of the Treasury Division of the Ministry of Finance and Revenue Makeleta Siliva, provided a letter to the court dated May 8, 2020. In it, she confirmed that Lord Nuku’s salary entitlements had been withheld since May 5, 2019.

Lord Nuku said he could not confirm claims that he had been paid TP$1.6 milion by Yanjian because it was the subject of disputes being resolved by the courts.

Failed

Lord Chief Justice Whitten said  Lord Nuku had failed to provide any documents supporting his claims about his financial status.

“In those circumstances, it is fair and reasonable to attach Lord Nuku’s full Parliamentary net salary leaving him his housing and noble’s allowances to live on,” the judge said.

“The whole of the withheld salary and allowances since May 2019, which as at 3 May 2020 stood at $48,727, should be paid to Lord Luani.

The judge said that when the size of a debt was so large in comparison to a debtor’s earnings, that there was no realistic prospect of the debt being satisfied or even significantly reduced within a reasonable period the most likely avenue available to judgment creditors was bankruptcy proceedings. However, it had been discovered that Tonga no longer had bankruptcy laws.

Lord Nuku currently owed just over TP$4 million, with interest running at TP$300,000 a year. His salary was insufficient to  meet this debt. In any case, any order made against his Parliamentary salary would operate only so long as Lord Nuku remains a member of Parliament.

The next general election was scheduled to take place in November 2021, but Clause 65 of the Constitution said nobody could stand for election if an order had been made against them and the moneys owed had not been repaid on the day they nominated.

“Accordingly, if by the time of nominations for the next general election, Lord Nuku has not paid or otherwise secured a release of the judgment debt, it is unlikely he will be eligible to stand for re-election. In that event, any order made on this application will cease to operate,” Lord Chief Justice Whitten said.

Lord Nuku had been offered the opportunity to present before the Court all relevant financial information to enable the court to determine what amount should be attached from his earnings.

Deficient

“Unfortunately, and for the reasons which follow, I am compelled to the view that the evidence presented by Lord Nuku was unsatisfactory and that he failed to engage bona fide in the process,” the judge said.

“Lord Nuku’s  evidence was substantially deficient and incomplete.

“The lack of detail, transparency, consistency and documentary support for Lord Nuku’s evidence leads to the conclusion that rather than co-operate, he sought to obfuscate it in order to avoid responsibility for payment of the judgment debt.

“I am therefore not satisfied that his evidence as to his expenses and, from that, what must be his other sources of income, was credible or reliable.

“It is more likely than not that Lord Nuku has other significant sources of income which he has not disclosed.

“I order that half of his net salary, being $1060 per fortnight (or $27,560 per annum), be attached and paid to the judgment creditor as some amount towards reducing the growing judgment debt.

“Had the application originally been made for an order for attachment of earnings, rather than an application for an order in respect of salary, any amounts ordered to be attached would have commenced to be paid from that date.”

Difficult for staff to turn off power supply says TPL as staff behind petition sent home

By
Philip Cass
-

Tonga Power Ltd said today it would be very difficult for TPL staff to turn off the kingdom’s power supply.

The comments came after a group of staff threatened to shut down the country’s electricity in a letter listing five grievances against alleged decisions of the TPL Board of Directors.

TPL has sent four staff behind the petition home and issued a statement saying the country’s power supply was safe.

Chairman of the Board  of Tonga Power Dr. ‘Aisake Eke said the petition was sent to the Prime Minister.

The petition has not been publicly released.

The Board of Directors said it did not have any issue with the petition, but was concerned by a threat to turn off the power and to call a strike on October 2.

The strike did not go ahead.

The Board said it would address the staff grievance.

Some of the staff directly involved had been asked to take time off from work whilst investigations were conducted.

Acting CEO Nikolasi Fonua said he could not comment on the details of the petition until their investigation was completed.

The main points

  • Tonga Powers Ltd said today it would be very difficult for TPL staff to turn off the kingdom’s power supply.
  • The comments came after a group of staff threatened to shut down the country’s electricity in a letter complaining about the TPL’s board of directors.
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