Tonga civil servants have complaint after being told their annual salary increases would not be paid before this Christmas holidays as usual.
Finance Minister Tēvita Lavemaau. Photo/Kalino Lātū
Known as Performance Management System (PMS), the public servants were entitled to an annual pay increase based on their performance.
The complaint was raised in Parliament last week by the Opposition saying the civil servants wanted answer.
In response, the Minister of Finance Tevita Lavemaau said there was a problem.
Hon Lavemaau said the delay came after the Public Service Commission CEO has revealed there were works still needed to be completed.
He said the CEO has asked to postpone it until January next year.
Hon Lavemaau said the money was ready and he would talk to the PSC CEO again to see if there was a chance to pay the civil servants parts of their increments before the holidays.
He said it has been for three years now the civil servants have been paid their increments before Christmas holidays.
He said this year there was a problem because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the CEOs were busy with other duties.
There were protests in Vava’u this weekend as the Prime Minister arrived for another fasting and prayer service.
This photo is a screenshot of a live Facebook video clip shared by Television Tonga showing the Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa (second to left) , His Health Minister Prof ‘Amelia Tu’ipulotu (left) and Chief Secretary Edgar Cocker (second to right), Vava’u Health Superintendent Dr Sa’ale Lākai (right) during a visit around Ngu Hospital in Vava’u on Thursday. They appear to have breached the 1.5 social distancing restriction.
Prime Minister Pōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa also opened new weaving houses and community centres for women.
Protestors said the government tour contradicted the official curfew laws.
They said the government should stop imposing curfews.
Videos seen by Kaniva News appear to show the government officials and the Prime Minister breaching the 1.5 metre social distancing in the way they visited places and mixed and mingled with people after arriving in Vava’u last week.
Hon. Tuʻiʻonetoa and his entourage were welcomed to a “houa ‘ilo,” which is Tongan for the hour (“houa”) of feasting prepared for nobles and high class people, at Tu’anekivale this afternoon. The food for the houa ‘ilo was prepared and provided by the locals.
At the same time protests were staged in Neiafu, with a number of vehicles being draped with banners, including one which accused the Prime Minister of duping the people of Vava’u.
One of the protests’ banners calling on the Prime Minister to stop imposing curfews. Photo/Facebook
Another banner demanded the Prime Minister to resign.
The protesters criticised the Prime Minister’s recent new laws requiring drivers and front passengers to wear seat belts.
Banners read:
“Fu’u mamafa mo’ua faka’uli ta’eleta” (The seatbelt legislation is costly)
“Fie ma’u ke ke fakafisi”(You need to resign)
“Stop the Kefeu Palemia ke Sesele” (Stop imposing curfews Prime Minister are you foolish)
Another banner asked the Prime Minister why he made laws to punish the people.
“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool Vava’u all the time,” another banner read.
Another banner from Vava’u protesters last week. Photo/Facebook
Protesters also criticised the move by the People’s Party Deputy Chair Etuate Lavulavu to submit a Bill to control kava sales and exports.
It was unclear who was behind the banners and the protests, but photos taken of the vehicles and banners were shared to Facebook by several users, including former Vava’u parliamentary candidate, PTOA Supporter and business operator Tomifa Paea.
He wrote a caption on the photos thanking the protesters for enlightening the people and helping to build the nation
In Tongan he said: “Malo e fakamaama mo e ngaue lahi tokoni kihe tau langa fonua.”
Tonga’s Declaration of a State of Emergency has been renewed from 8pm on November 23 to 8pm on December 21, due to the continuing spread of CoViD-19 around the world.
Night-time curfews from midnight to 5am will be enforced by the Tonga Police, His Majesty’s Armed Forces and relevant authorised officers.
It said all activities and gatherings in Tonga shall comply with social distancing, keeping 1.5m from any other person at all times.
In April Police have arrested 568 people since a state of emergency was declared on 28 March to try and counter Covid-19.
357 of those arrested had allegedly breached the lockdown rules or obstructed officers.
About 100 homes in the area of Pea and Veitongo are without electricity this morning after a vehicle crashed into a power pole.
Electricity is not expected to be restored until after 9.30am when a broken pole be replaced, Tonga Power Board was quoted by local media as announcing.
Photos of the crash had been posted to Facebook by Broadcom FM Broadcasting.
It did not provide the details of the crash or where did it happen.
The Supreme Court has ordered the government to pay TP$5000 compensation after police and fisheries officers raided a business without a warrant.
The raid took place on March 25 this year on a property in Ma’ufanga, known as the Blue Pacific, which operates as a sales yard for sand and the storage of containers.
The raid was part of a joint operation aimed at combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Tonga.
Constable Halapua gave evidence that based on reports received and video footage filmed from a drone, he led a team to raid the property.
The nature, reliability and amount of evidence cited by officers involved in the case was called into question during the trial by Lord Chief Justice Whitten.
Halapua testified that on the day of the search he had discussed the matter with Chief Inspector Saimone Fifita and Inspector ‘One’one of the police prosecutions division, who told him he could rely on Section 123 of the Tonga Police act to conduct the search without a warrant.
S.123 says that places, vehicles, vessels and aircraft can be searched without a warrant if a police officer is satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that a serious offence has been committed, is being committed or is about to be committed and that it would be impracticable, unreasonable or not in the interests of justice if the officer was required to apply for a warrant in order to conduct a search in relation to the offence.
The government officers believed beche de mer (sea cucumbers) were hidden on the premises of Blue Pacific. The Court was hearing a complaint from the company’s manager, De Feng Mo.
Feng said Halapua refused to let him call his lawyer and knocked the phone out of his hand. Other employers also had their phones confiscated and one staff member was stopped from leaving the premises.
During the two hour search no beche de mer were found.
Feng said he was repeatedly asked where he had hidden the sea cucumbers. Feng said that he did not know what the officer was talking about. He said Halapua told him not to lie.
Halapua said 83 shark fins were found drying and were confiscated. They were later found to belong to Feng’s wife, Katalaine Fehoko.
The judge said that while the government officials had committed trespass, it was the result of “honest, if erroneous, opinion” about whether S.123 applied in this particular situation.
“It did not reflect any outrageous or high-handed manner in the way the officers undertook the operation and reached the decision to search without warrant,” Judge Whitten said.
The judge ordered the government to pay Feng TP$1000 for trespass and TP$1000 in exemplary damages.
The government was also ordered to pay TP$2000 in compensation for unlawful detention and assault and TP$1000 in exemplary damages.
The government has also been ordered to pay Feng’s costs and to return the shark fins.
Air Vanuatu has appointed New Zealand-Tongan resident ‘Atu Finau as its new chief executive officer.
Fly Niu owner ‘Atu Finau at the Auckland International Airport. Photo/Kalino Lātū
“In appointing you to this position the board has confidence in your professionalism and ability that you will successfully perform the role and responsibilities to the best of your knowledge and to working together carry out the vision of the current board as mandated by the Shareholders in the best interest of Air Vanuatu,” Sam Fin, the Chairman of the Air Vanuatu Board said in an acceptance letter to Finau seen by Kaniva News.
Finau, 56, has experience of more than 25 years as a licensed engineer and knowledge of all aircrafts in Air Vanuatu’s fleet including the ATR 72-500 and extensive experience in Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
He was expected to start in the new role this week after flying this morning from Auckland in a repatriation flight to Port Vila.
“I am incredibly proud to be given the job of nurturing and building on the legacy of an iconic company in the Pacific islands,” Finau said.
He said Air Vanuatu was deservedly recognised as one of the Pacific islands’ great airlines and that he looks forward to working alongside its people to take it to the next level especially while international airlines were expected to start flying early next year.
The appointment was effective 26 October 2020 about six years after Finau left the airline in 2014 as general manager.
He then returned to Tonga in an attempt to revive his Fly Niu airlines which was forced out of the kingdom about 16 years ago but it was unsuccessful after repeated meetings with Tongan authorities.
Finau said he was excited about his new appointment as he saw this as an opportunity to create a Tonga destination link with the Air Vanuatu.
New Zealand has lifted the suspension on Tonga watermelons imports with special requirements, a source has told Kaniva News this morning.
The ban imposed more than two months ago stopped the export of melons after live fruit fly larvae were detected at the New Zealand border on a consignment of watermelons from the kingdom.
Watermelons sold in Tonga after the ban. Photo/Supplied
It is understood a special event is expected to be held in Nuku’alofa this morning to issue the temporary approval permit by the New Zealand authority in Tonga.
Our source said it is a satisfying outcome given the importance of trade for both countries and how New Zealand favourably considered the Tongan farmers’ situation.
The news came after plans to send New Zealand watermelons from Tonga last week were postponed, sparking claims the information released about the arrangement was just made up to arouse growers’ hopes.
As Kaniva News reported yesterday, Tonga’s Trade Minister Samiu Vaipulu said there were things that still needed to be completed in the process after a plan to temporarily unblock the export last week.
Growers who exported their melons through the government had been paid 50 percent of their price and the government was looking at paying for the melons which were destroyed in New Zealand.
“We have made an agreement with the growers,” Hon. Vaipulu said, but did not give any details of the agreement.
He said the shipment containing the infected melons was from a private company and it affected Tonga’s permit to send any more melons to New Zealand.
“Work was underway to establish a more organised system because it was a private shipment which was infected,” Hon. Vaipulu said in Tongan.
Plumes of black smoke and flames can be seen in a video reportedly coming from a house in Tu’anekivale this afternoon.
House fire in Tu’anekivale. Photo/Screenshot
Holeva Town Officer Uele Moala who was recording the incident live on Facebook was overheard as saying the house belonged to the Tu’anekivale town officer.
He later told Kaniva News the fire destroyed the house and all its content.
He said firefighters arrived but they were too late to help control the blaze.
The cause of the fire was still unknown.
Locals are commenting on social media that it’s about time to ask the government to establish a fire station in the area.
It’s not yet known if there are injuries or the extent of damage.
(By New York Posts) Moderna said it will ask the feds to clear its experimental coronavirus vaccine for emergency use on Monday, adding to hopes that two inoculations could be available by the end of the year.
A shot that is part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna is preppedAP
The biotech firm will be the second drugmaker to seek a so-called emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine from the US Food and Drug Administration after Pfizer and BioNTech submitted their request earlier this month.
Moderna announced the move Monday as it revealed new data showing the vaccine was 94.1 percent effective in its late-stage clinical trial — similar to Pfizer’s efficacy rate of 95 percent — and posed no serious safety concerns. The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee is expected to review data from the Phase 3 study at a Dec. 17 meeting, Moderna said.
“We believe that our vaccine will provide a new and powerful tool that may change the course of this pandemic and help prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and death,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.
Moderna’s submission will come as US officials and drug companies prepare to distribute coronavirus vaccines to vulnerable people around the country as soon as they’re approved.
The Massachusetts-based company said it will have about 20 million doses of its vaccine available in the US by the end of the year, while Manhattan-based Pfizer expects to have produced up to 50 million doses of its shot globally. That would be enough to inoculate about 35 million people in all because the vaccines are each administered in two doses.
The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Plans to send New Zealand watermelons from Tonga last week were postponed, sparking claims the information released about the arrangement was just made up to arouse growers’ hopes.
Trade Minister Hon Sāmiu Vaipulu
A reliable source claimed the information, which was released by the Tonga Broadcasting Commission, was made up by authorities to deflect the growers’ demand for government and private company compensation.
As Kaniva News reported earlier, some growers borrowed thousands of pa’anga to grow watermelons. It is understood Tongan farmers planted a large number of acres of watermelons for export to New Zealand.
Exports to New Zealand were blocked after fruit flies were found on the melons.
Watermelons have flooded small local markets in Tonga. Photos seen by Kaniva News showed watermelons stacked up at tax allotments and residential properties. Watermelons were also seen being used to feed pigs.
Kaniva News followed up the news with New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industry two weeks ago.
We asked the MPI whether or not it was true there was a plan in place to lift the ban soon.
“The suspension remains in place and we are working closely with the Tongan Ministry of Agriculture on the fruit fly issue,” the Ministry said.
“That work is currently being done virtually due to COVID related travel restrictions.
“The length of the suspension will depend on how quickly Tongan authorities can investigate the situation and put measures in place to assure New Zealand that their treatment processes are working. That said, the work is progressing well.”
A source claimed the Ministry of Quarantine was disorganised and lacked people with the right skills to do the jobs.
The source also claimed it appeared attempts to unblock exporting of watermelons to New Zealand was not a priority for the government.
The source said attempts to convince New Zealand authorities that Tonga would only send watermelons that were safe from any infection appeared to be taking longer than expected.
Kaniva News asked Trade Minister Sāmiu Vaipulu to comment on the matters and explain why last week’s plan to resume exports was postponed.
He said there were things that still needed to be completed in the process.
Growers who exported their melons through the government had been paid 50 percent of their price and the government was looking at paying for the melons which were destroyed in New Zealand.
“We have made an agreement with the growers,” Hon. Vaipulu said, but did not give any details of the agreement.
He said the shipment containing the infected melons was from a private company and it affected Tonga’s permit to send any more melons to New Zealand.
“Work was underway to establish a more organised system because it was a private shipment which was infected,” Hon. Vaipulu said in Tongan.
“So there was need for the government and the growers to work together on this.”
The government should stop travelling to the outer islands and do its prayer and fasting meetings via the internet, a Tongan pastor said this weekend.
Pastor Sioeli Kalekale (R), PM Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa
Pastor Sioeli Kalekale, an Upper Room Church minister in Christchurch said going online would save hundreds of thousands of pa’anga.
Rev. Kalekale’s comments join a barrage of criticism that has been made against the government’s tours of the outer islands, with critics saying they are simply a way for ministers to collect gifts.
Photographs taken on Nomuka island at celebrations to launch construction of a new wharf show fish, mats and other gifts lined up in front of the official stand.
“I do not believe in what they do,” Pastor Kalekale said.
“If they regarded it as the way to show their love for the nation they should pay for their fares because they have huge amounts of salary.
“To say this is true prayer and fasting it is untrue.
“That money should have been saved to buy tar to build the roads. Stop obliging the people to buy tar and stop traveling to the outer islands.
“That is how I see Christ’s soul in this.”
The administrator of the Ministry of Infrastructure Facebook page described the hā’unga presentation on its Facebook page as “beautiful” and said the people of Nomuka “welcomed the tour courteously.”
He made a call earlier for the government to use the money to help growers whose watermelons were blocked from entering New Zealand.
He also criticised the government’s collecting handicrafts from poor people and called on them to “stop lying to people as they are pitiable.”
Rev. Kalekale told Kaniva News he was not interested in politics. He said his role was to provide spiritual and leadership advice.
The administrator of the Ministry of Infrastructure Facebook page described the hā’unga presentation on its Facebook page as “beautiful” and said the people of Nomuka “welcomed the tour courteously.”
It said the tour was made because of an immense (“kāfakafa”) project.
In response to earlier criticism of the tours by veteran journalist Kalafi Moala, the Prime Minister said it was important for him to meet the people personally.
He said it was an occasion in which family and friends who had not seen each other for a long time met.
“That’s what keeps our love each other, our culture, our unity and working together to build the nation,” he said.
“That’s our Tongan philosophical ground upon which Faa’i Kaveikoula (Tonga’s Pillars) of respect, loyalty, keeping the relationships well and humility stand.”
Electricity is not expected to be restored until after 9.30am when a broken pole be replaced, Tonga Power Board was quoted by local media as announcing.
