Acting
Speaker Lord Tu’ilakepa has apologised in Parliament after a comment he made
sparked outrage on social media.
As Kaniva Tonga news reported earlier this
week, the Acting Speaker made the remarks during a fierce debate in Parliament
over six Bills which the government said needed to be discussed urgently.
Lord Tu’ilakepa said he went to Liahona High school and praised the level of English there. However, he then said that in Toloa – another name for Tupou College – the standard was “faka’ofa” (poor).
In Tongan he
said: “‘Oku ke mea’i e ako ko eni ‘a Liahona, na’a ku ako aí, ko e fu’u ako lea
fakapālangi ia. Ko e Minisitā Laó pē
na’e ako ‘i Toloa, ko e faka’ofa atu e lea fakapālangí ia ai.”
The king’s
Noble has now said he was making a joke with the Minister of Law, who had
studied at Tupou College.
He said the Prime Minister was also an ex-student at Tupou College, as was the Minister of Finance, and MP for ‘Eua 11.
The Acting
Speaker said these were “great men” and said he apologised to the Prime
Minister.
“I would like to publicly declare my apology
to the ex-students of Tupou College after I was accused of putting the college
down,” Lord Tu’ilakepa said.
The Prime Minister accepted Lord Tu’ilakepa’s apology and
said there were times when people made mistakes.
The main points
Acting
Speaker Lord Tu’ilakepa has apologised in Parliament after a comment he made
sparked outrage on social media.
As
Kaniva Tonga news reported earlier
this week, the Acting Speaker made the remarks during a fierce debate in
Parliament over six Bills which the government said needed to be discussed
urgently.
Nine days
after the Christchurch massacre, major events are scheduled today to allow
people to show their grief and support for the victims of the racist attack.
Thousands of
people are expected to attend a memorial service, ‘Remember Those Who Lost
Their Lives’, in Christchurch this evening.
The memorial
service will be held in Hagley Park from 5-7pm.
It will be
started by Linwood mosque Imam Alabi Lateef Zirullah.
Other
speakers will include Catholic Bishop of Christchurch Paul Martin. Cashmere
High School, which several of the victims attended, will be represented.
In Auckland,
an anti-Islamophobia rally, ‘Kia Kaha Aotearoa: Stand Against Racism,’ will be
held at Aotea Square from 2pm.
Vigils and
memorial services have been held all over New Zealand in the past week.
A vigil was
held in New Plymouth and a hikoi was held in Hastings. An estimated 15,000
people attended a memorial in Dunedin.
On Friday
hundreds of staff and students at Unitec in Auckland attended a memorial
service that included the planting of an olive tree in the institute’s memorial
garden.
Many New
Zealand women covered their heads as a mark of respect on Friday,
including policewoman Michelle Evans.
Constable
Evans was standing guard outside the Christchurch Memorial Park Cemetery.
On Friday,
people were asked to stay off Facebook for 50 hours from 1.40pm, the time the
alleged gunman started broadcasting live video of the shooting last Friday.
There has
been anger at Facebook for allowing the gunman to broadcast his attack online.
Internet providers in New Zealand have been working to have the footage blocked
or removed.
Pacific response
The effects
of the Christchurch shooting has been felt throughout the Pacific.
As Kaniva Tonga news reported earlier this
week, on Monday Members of Parliament took part in a one minute silence on
Monday morning to pay respects for the victims of Christchurch’s terror attack.
Acting
Speaker Lord Tu’ilakepa said the minute was in respect for the memory of those
killed and hurt in the attack on Friday, which left 50 dead and at least 50
injured
Lord
Tu’ilakepa said in Tongan: “Oku ou fie ‘oatu ‘a e fie kaungā mamahi ‘a e Fale
Alea ‘o Tongá mo e kakai ‘o Nu’usilá, ‘oku ‘oatu heni ha faka’apa’apa, mo e
fiekaungā mamahi mo’oni ‘a e Fale Alea ‘o Tonga, mo e kakai ‘o Nu’usila koe’uhi
ko e pulonga kuo tō he fonuá, tupu mei he fakapō ta’e’amanekina, ne hoko ‘i
Christchurch, ‘i he ‘aho Falaite 15 ‘o Mā’asi, 2019.”
In Port
Moresby, an editorial in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier described New
Zealand as “one of the most peaceful and culturally open countries in the
world, which makes this vicious attack even more disgusting.”
In Fiji,
people were asked to stand in solidarity with New Zealand at a candlelit
service.
The Fiji Times reported that Musa Vali
Suleman Patel, 60, a leader of the Fiji Muslim League, was killed in the racist
attack.
According to
Radio New Zealand, two other Fijians, Ashraf Ali Razat and Hafiz Musa Patel,
were also killed.
Messages of
condolence have come from political leaders and regional bodies across the
Pacific.
Cook Islands
Prime Minister Herny Puna said his country’s prayers first and foremost were
with the victims of the shooting, “their families, friends and loved ones
who are now faced with the irreconcilable loss of their loved ones.”
Fijian Prime
Minister Frank Bainimarama said Fijian hearts were breaking.
“An atrocity
of this nature is shocking almost beyond comprehension,” he said.
“Across
all religions, our houses of worship are a source of refuge, of prayer, and of
love; to see such a heinous and hate-filled act occur in what should be places
of peace is the darkest of evils.”
President of
French Polynesia, Edouard Fritch described Friday’s attack as a “despicable
act.”
However, not
all Pacific leaders have been so altruistic.
In Samoa, a request by MP Tafua Maluelue Tafua for a
minute’s silence to remember the victims of the shooting was knocked back by Speaker
of Parliament on procedural grounds.
Samoan PM Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi criticised Tafua
for making the request, saying he should have known that a minutes’ silence was
only offered for MPs.
Dr. Malielegaoi said his official statement on the shooting,
which was extended on behalf of Parliament and the whole country meant more
than just a moment of silence.
“Message of sympathy and condolences were sent to New
Zealand on that Friday from one leader to another, period,” he said.
He then went on to attack his political opponents and
appeared to claim they and people campaigning for human rights in Samoa were
like the Christchurch gunman.
The
main points
Nine days after the Christchurch
massacre, major events are scheduled today to allow people to show their grief
and support for the victims of the racist attack.
Thousands of people are expected to
attend a memorial service in Hagley Park in Christchurch from 5-7pm.
In Auckland, an anti-Islamophobia
rally, Kia Kaha Aotearoa: Stand Against Racism, will be held at Aotea Square
from 2pm.
For
more information
Christchurch shooting: Details of
vigil revealed, thousands expected
Siaosi Koloamatangi, of Kolomu’a has been elected Chairman
of the Board
of Directors of the Tonga
National Rugby League.
Koloamatangi
was elected during a special general meeting of the TRNL ordered by the Supreme
Court.
The meeting,
on March 9, was chaired by Acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu.
The newly
elected Vice-Chairman of the
Board of Director is Petuliki Mafile’o of Kolonga.
The secretary is William C. Edwards Jr of Kolomu’a. Silivenusi Taumoepeau was elected as director of the Kolofo’ou District.
The new director
of Kolomotu’a District is Heimuli Pangai from Toa-ko-Ma’afu.
The new director
of the Vahe Loto district is Lokingi Mavae from Vaini.
Siamelie Latu of Mu’a Saints was elected director of Vahe Hahake District.
The new director
of the Vahe Hihifo District is Tonga Fonua, Ha’akame.
The supreme
Court rules in November last year that the new Board was to “carry on the
affairs of the League, one of which shall be to have the finances of the League
properly audited by a properly qualified chartered accountant”.
Once a
proper audit is completed, the new Board of Directors will convene an Annual
General Meeting to elect a new Board of Directors.
Deputy Prime
Minister Semisi Sika, Deputy Prime Minister, remains as the President of the
Tonga National Rugby League.
Hon. Tevita
‘Unga Ma’afu remains as the Vice-President of the Tonga National Rugby League,
until replaced in an election in an Annual General Meeting.
As Kaniva Tonga news reported in February,
the Supreme Court banned former members of the TRNL board from attending the
election.
It also
banned the former president and vice-president of the TRNL from attending the
election meeting.
And it has
warned that it may take further action depending on the outcome of the audit of
the TRNL finances.
The orders
came as the Supreme Court reaffirmed that it had the power to dismiss the TRNL
board and to order new elections under the Incorporated Societies Act.
As Kaniva Tonga news reported earlier, the
Supreme Court dissolved the Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) board and
ordered an election of new board members.
The sacked
board members included Chairman Stan Moheloa, General Secretary Tavake Fangupō,
Board Director Siu Fangupō, Board
Director Pita Vakautakakala, and Board Director Mātani Nifofā.
The Court
appointed Acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu as Amicus Curiae (friend of
the court) to organise and oversee new elections.
The
main points
Siaosi Koloamatangi, of Kolomu’a has been
elected Chairman of
the Board of
Directors of the Tonga National Rugby League.
Koloamatangi
was elected during a special general meeting of the TRNL ordered by the Supreme
Court.
The
meeting, on March 9, was chaired by Acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu.
For
more information
Supreme Court bans former rugby board
members, president, from election meeting
The New
Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has turned down an appeal by a
Tongan couple against deportation.
The Tribunal
said they did not meet the exceptional requirements for being allowed to stay
on humanitarian grounds.
The couple
and two of their children arrived in New
Zealand with the two older children on visitor visas on October 18, 2017.
After a
first extension of their visa was granted a second was refused and they became
liable for deportation in July last year.
A third
child as born to the couple while they were in New Zealand.
The couple
relied on the difference in economic conditions and opportunities for them and
their children as a reason for they and their children to be allowed to stay in
New Zealand, the Tribunal said in its report on the case.
The Tribunal
said economic disparity was a motive for many people looking for better
opportunities in New Zealand.
However, the
fact that they would be able provide a better standard of living for themselves and their children in
New Zealand is not, in itself, exceptional
“The
Tribunal accepts that the standard of living available to the appellants will
be lower in Tonga than in New Zealand,” the report said.
“However,
the appellants will have the opportunity to work and to support their children.
There is no evidence that they do not have adequate accommodation to return to
and their children will have available to them the same level of primary and
secondary schooling that they had.
“While the
appellants submit that the level of healthcare available to them in Tonga is
inferior to that in New Zealand, that is not, in isolation, exceptional and, in
any event, there is no evidence that either appellant or any of the three
children have particular healthcare needs.”
The Tribunal
said it had considered the circumstances of both appellants and of each of their children.
The
main points
The
New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has turned down an appeal by a
Tongan couple against deportation.
The
Tribunal said they did not meet the exceptional requirements for being allowed
to stay on humanitarian grounds.
The new head coach for Tonga Netball is excited by the chance to grow and develop the sport at the grassroots and high performance levels.
Jaqua Heddle returned to New Zealand last
year to take up the role General Manager of Netball Taranaki, after 26 years
living in Australia.
She spent two decades coaching netball
across the Tasman and in 2016 was named Netball New South Wales coach of the
year.
Heddle is from a Rarotongan and Tahitian
background but said the chance to coach with Tonga was a fantastic opportunity.
“I’m particularly interested in how
Tonga netball are trying to establish a high performance programme and, for me,
starting at the foundation level and being a part of building that programme
with them is really exciting so I’m glad that came about,” she said.
Jaqua Heddle has selected an even mix of
players based in Tonga and New Zealand to compete in the Pacific Nations Cup,
which gets underway in Auckland on Thursday, which she believes will bode well
for their long-term development.
“We have six athletes that are based
in Tonga so that’s really exciting for us and the bigger picture of that is to
be able to develop athletes that are actually residing in Tonga and the
knowledge that they take back and be able to share with their community, which
ultimately is going to increase the skill development level in Tonga,” she
said.
“The other half of our squad are New
Zealand residents so they live here, they’re Tongan athletes…a big part for
us is being able to get them to connect as a team so that they’re competitive
when they go into competition at the end of the week.”
The Kingdom finished winless at last year’s
Oceania World Cup Qualifying tournament but apart from a 35-goal blowout
against Cook Islands proved competitive in matches against Papua New Guinea,
Fiji and Samoa, where the losing margin ranged from eight to twelve goals.
Heddle believed the team has plenty of room
to keep improving on the international stage.
“The short-term plan for us was
obviously preparation for athletes having them in camp for the Pacific Nations
Cup and just gaining some experience for them playing against some nations that
had some skill and it will give them some experience within that space,”
she said.
“Then for us leading into the South
Pacific Games in July: that’s a really important event for us because there is
an opportunity for us to increase our world ranking, which is the ultimate
goal, and it’s going to take some time but I think Netball Tonga are on the
right pathway for that to happen.”
Long before Tongasat was dreamed up, rockets were being used
to carry mail in Tonga.
While the rocket service was intermittent and may have blown
up more letters that ever got through, it produced more solid results than
anything that has happened since.
The story of Tonga’s involvement with rocketry began in 1882
when William Travers took over a plantation on Niuafo’ou.
Passing ships were unable to call at the steep-sided island
and it was difficult to even land a rowing boat.
According to several versions of the story, Travers asked the
Tongan postal authorities to put his mail inside a ship’s biscuit tin and have
it thrown overboard from a Union Steamship Company vessel.
The ship’s captain would blow the ship’s siren when the tin went over the side and Travers would send out a swimmer to collect it. Soon he was sending mail out the same way.
However, the reality was that even the strongest swimmer
might spend hours fighting strong currents to get to the mail and when the
weather was bad it was impossible to swim out to the ship.
It was then that gunpowder-powered rockets were brought into
play. Ship’s captains began to fire the rockets at Niuafo’ou.
Unsurprisingly, when fired from the deck of a sailing ship or
a steamer batting its way through rough seas, the mail rockets didn’t always
travel smoothly.
Hissing and spluttering, they usually hit the island, but
contemporary accounts say that sometimes they overshot it altogether and landed
in the sea.
Sometimes they landed in the lake or just got lost in the bus
and one at least one occasion the mail burst into flames in mid-air.
Whatever the outcome, when the rockets were in the air,
everybody stopped work to see what would happen.
Experiments
While the rocket mail was used to cover occasional
emergencies, elsewhere in the world serious experiments in carrying mail by
rocket continued for many decades.
In India tests were carried out in Calcutta and Darjeeling in
the 1930s and the press breathlessly asked whether rocket mail would one day beat
air mail, the telephone and radio.
There were experiments in many other places, most
spectacularly in the UK when German scientist Gehard Zucker fired two rockets
loaded with mail between the Scottish islands of Harris and Scarp. Both rockets
exploded, but most of the mail was saved.
The most expensive experiment in rocket mail took place in
1959 when the American submarine USS Barbero
fired a cruise missile which had had its nuclear warhead replaced by two Post
Office Department mail containers.
Tonga’s space race
Since the days of the Niuafo’ou mail rocket, several schemes
have been floated to put Tonga into space. In 1990 US entrepreneur Matt Nilson founded
Tongasat, which is now embroiled in lawsuits and, according to the supreme
Court, unlikely to be able to pay its court costs.
Later on, there were plans to launch tourists into orbit from
a spaceport in the kingdom. In 2003 California company InterOrbital systems
claimed it would put tourists into a seven day stay in low orbital.
By 2010 the company had lowered its sights and was claiming
it would soon launch a rocket carrying a
30kg payload a launch site on the king’s estate on the southern tip of ‘Eua
this year, with the aim of launching a rocket before the end of 2010.
The proposal for space tourism came to nothing. After 20
years nothing has ever quite matched the hissing, fizzing – and sometimes
burning – Niuafo’ou rocket mail.
The
main points
Long
before Tongasat was dreamed up, rockets were being used to carry mail in Tonga.
While
the rocket service was intermittent and may have blown up more letters that
ever got through, it produced more solid results than anything that has
happened since.
The
story of Tonga’s involvement with rocketry began in 1882 when William Travers
took over a plantation on Niuafo’ou.
Lord Tu’ilakepa’s derogatory remarks about the standard of English at Tupou College has sparked an outrage online.
The Acting Speaker said he went to Liahona High school, an English compulsory speaking high school in Tonga and English there was great while in Toloa – another name for Tupou College – the standard was “faka’ofa” (poor).
In Tongan he said: “‘Oku ke mea’i e ako ko eni ‘a
Liahona, na’a ku ako aí, ko e fu’u ako lea fakapālangi ia. Ko e Minisitā Laó pē na’e ako ‘i Toloa, ko e
faka’ofa atu e lea fakapālangí ia ai.”
He was reacting to the Minister of Law who, he said,
had studied at Tupou College.
The king’s noble made the disparaging comment during a
heated debate yesterday after the Minister of Education attempted to clarify to
the Acting Speaker the meaning of the word “certify” as it appeared on clause
131 of the law.
As Kaniva Tonga
news reported yesterday, there has been uproar in the House since Monday when
Lord Tu’ilakepa said the Prime Minister was obliged to tell the House in a
letter the reasons why the government considered the six Bills currently before
it were urgent.
The government disagreed and said certifying in a
letter the bills were urgent only required the Prime Minister to say they were
urgent and to sign the letter.
Lord Tu’ilakepa and seven other noble MPs wanted the government
to meet face to face with the public to consult with them on the new legislation,
but the government disagreed.
The government said it had already done the public
consultation process over a radio talk back show led by the Acting Attorney
General, ‘Aminiasi Kefu.
Acting
Speaker reacted
Lord Tu’ilakepa accused the government bench of regularly
belittling his educational background and often referring to his being a high
school dropout.
The MPs were arguing after a letter by the Prime
Minister supporting the urgency of the law was rejected by Lord Tu’ilakepa.
The government maintained that the law only required
the Prime Minister to certify that the Bills were urgent without giving any
reasons.
Acting
Speaker not keeping to role – PM
Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva has accused the Acting
Speaker for not keeping to his role as a Chair of the House and not becoming involved in the MPs debates.
However, Lord Tu’ilakepa continued arguing with the Cabinet Ministers and maintained he was trying to clarify his side of the government’s accusation against him.
Legal advice and impeachment
Policer Minister Mateni Tapueluelu told the House the Cabinet Ministers had a meeting the night before and sought advice from the Solicitor General and Acting Attorney General who concluded that the Speaker’s interpretation of the word certify and the law it included was wrong.
Hon. Tapueluelu told Lord Tu’ilakepa he could be
impeached if he had made a wrong decision.
The Acting Speaker said he had been advised by legal experts.
He asked the Minister not to threaten him.
He told the Minister to go ahead and impeach him.
The Bills have still not been tabled because the
Acting Speaker is adamant that the government must submit the reasons why the
Bills are considered urgent.
Online
outrage
Lord Tu’ilakepa’s comments about Tupou College have attracted an outrage from Tupou College ex-students as far away as the United States.
An ex-student in US who goes by the name Manu Hasata Mafua Tuivai said on a
livestreamed video yesterday the noble’s comment was low and belittling.
He said the noble have to be careful of what he says
and respect the college.
“Ouaaaaaa teke ue’i ae ‘Uga e Tuilakepa, teke taelata
he nofo i Toga,” Tu’ivai also wrote on Facebook.
This translate into Tongan as: “Do not mess with the ‘unga Tu’ilakepa because it will cause you to feel uneasy while staying in Tonga.”
One Facebook group known as My Tongan Online Community
which has 18,000 followers has shared the noble’s comment.
It has 131 shares and received 161 comments and 525
reactions.
The comments in Tongan have included threats and
abuse.
Some questioned Lord Tu’ilakepa’s educational qualifications and whether this might affect his functioning in his present role.
Some recalled that in 2010 he was accused of being bribed to sponsor
a Colombian drug boss to enter Tonga.
However, some commenters stood by the noble and asked the other commentators to give him a break.
Some said the noble was correct in the way he
interpreted the law.
The main points
Lord Tu’ilakepa’s derogatory remarks
about the standard of English at Tupou has sparked an outrage online.
The Acting Speaker said he went to
Liahona High school, an English compulsory speaking high school in Tonga and
English there was great while in Toloa –
another name for Tupou – the
standard was “faka’ofa” (poor).
There
has been uproar in the House since Mondaywhen Lord Tu’ilakepa said the Prime
Minister was obliged to tell the House in a letter the reasons why the
government considered the six Bills currently before it were urgent.
For more information
Acting
Speaker shuts down discussion on new Bills, tells House to come back the next
day
The Members of Parliament in Tonga took part in a one minute silence on Monday morning to pay respects and supports for the victims of Christchurch’s terror attack.
Acting Speaker Lord Tu’ilakepa opened proceedings and orchestrated the silence.
He said the minute was in respect for the memory of
those killed and hurt in the attack on Friday, which left 50 dead and at least 50
injured
Lord Tu’ilakepa said in Tongan: “Oku ou fie ‘oatu ‘a e fie kaungā mamahi ‘a e Fale Alea ‘o Tongá mo e kakai ‘o Nu’usilá, ‘oku ‘oatu heni ha faka’apa’apa, mo e fiekaungā mamahi mo’oni ‘a e Fale Alea ‘o Tonga, mo e kakai ‘o Nu’usila koe’uhi ko e pulonga kuo tō he fonuá, tupu mei he fakapō ta’e’amanekina, ne hoko ‘i Christchurch, ‘i he ‘aho Falaite 15 ‘o Mā’asi, 2019.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand Police Commissioner said this morning in a live-streamed press conference that Police were working relentlessly to complete formal identifications of the victims.
“Today as part of my regular updates I want to talk to
the process of returning the victim’s bodies to their loved ones,” Bush said.
His statement is published verbatim below:
Specifically I want to talk about the process of
identifying and returning victims’ bodies to their loved ones.
Firstly I expect to be able to return the majority of
the bodies to the families by this evening.
As of last night 21 victims have been identified and
are available for release to their families.
We expect 27 to have been identified by midday
It was our intention to have this process complete by
Wednesday, but some the bodies will take longer to identify.
Victims of are our priority but we also have important
obligations.
We must work on behalf of the Coroner to ensure we
have the correct identification.
It would be unforgivable to return the wrong body to a
family.
Secondly correct identification is required as part of
the investigation and is necessary to prove a charge of murder.
I want to again reassure you that we are working
relentlessly, doing everything in our power to complete the formal
identification processes as quickly as possible.
I have over 100 specialists and experts including
Police, DVI, NZDF pathologists, odonatologists and overseas assistance.
Additionally we have excellent support from Coroners,
nationally.
Finally I want to clarify one thing around the time it
took to apprehend the offender.
I have previously said the offender was in our custody
within 36 minutes.
I have now been made aware that, while we had the
offender in custody at the Justice Precinct within 36 minutes, it in fact only
took 21 minutes from the first 111 call for the offender to be apprehended at
the roadside by the two officers.
The NRL referee who quit after receiving thousands of death threats from Mate Ma’a Tonga fans will return to the NRL field this weekend.
Long-serving Australian rugby league referee Matt Cecchin was criticized after he disallowed a try that would have helped Tonga beat England in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup
Six months after leaving Australia as a result of death threats, Cecchin has been named to take charge of Saturday’s clash between Manly and Sydney Roosters at Lottoland.
Cecchin denied Andrew Fifita a try which would have sent the Tongans into the final against Australia, prompting some fans to bombard him on social media.
Cecchin’s
decision to not award the try was later endorsed as correct.
He had
planned to head to the English Super League in 2019 however a visa hiccup
scuppered those plans.
He returned to Australia and oversaw a NSW Cup game last weekend before being asked to step up to first-grade once again this weekend.
Parliament was in uproar again yesterday, Monday 18, as the acting speaker, Lord Tu’ilakepa, appeared to be deliberately using his powers to slow the passage of the governments six new Bills through the House.
In an act that some people might interpret as retaliation
against the government for not allowing more public consultation on its proposed
new laws, Lord Tu’ilakepa demanded the government
give reasons why it considered the new Bills were urgent.
The Minister of Police, Mateni Tapueluelu, told Lord
Tu’ilakepa he believed he had breached Parliament’s rules.
Lord Tu’ilakepa walked out of Parliament last week along with
his noble colleagues after a row with the commoner-led government over the
bills. The government has been using talk back radio to gauge public feelings
about the legislation.
He returned to the House yesterday with the rest of the nobles.
Lord Tu’ilakepa’s demand came despite clarification by the government benches that the law does not require any reasons to explain why a Bill is considered urgent.
The Acting Speaker cited a letter submitted to the House in
February by the Prime Minister.
The letter told the House the government needed to table an Investment bill urgently because it wanted the release of TP$30 million in budget support.
Request to resubmit PM’s letter
MP Mo’ale Finau asked Lord Tu’ilakepa whether he would allow Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva to resubmit his letter the following day with the reasons for the urgency, but the Acting Speaker did not give a specific reply.
The Prime Minister had already submitted a letter certifying
the Bills were urgent, as required by law.
Lord Tu’ilakepa did not accept this.
Reasons for urgency
The Prime Minister told the House the Bills were urgent because most of the government policies were governed by laws that related to the Bills and amendments. He said the government could do nothing because these laws had “ha’iha’i” (tied) them.
The Minister of Justice said there were a number of financial requirements for the government so it could deal with some of the changes to the court system including a salary of TP$600,000. He said if a Supreme Judge retired this year two Tongan Supreme judges may be appointed.
“…ko e fatongia fakapa’anga eni. ‘Oku lahi ‘a e ‘u me’a fakapa’anga, ‘e kau ‘i
he liliu ko eni. Ko e ‘uhinga ia ‘emau
kole atu, ke tali eni kimu’a ‘i he Patiseti,” the Minister of Justice said in
Tongan.
This translates into English as: “these are financial
obligations. There are too many financial matters, which relate to these amendments.
That’s why we asked you to approve this before the new budget.”
Lord Tu’ilakepa’s response
After heated debates between the noble and the government bench, Lord Tu’ilakepa told the House it had to close for the day and said the Bills were not urgent.
He repeatedly warned the House that MPs could say what they
liked, but that he must have the last word.
The Acting speaker continued to disregard the way in which
the government benches interpreted clause 131, which requires the Prime
Minister to certify the urgency of the Bills and kept citing the letter written
by the Prime Minister in February as an example of what he thought was required.
Lord Tu’ilakepa said that when the Prime Minister certified that
the six new Bills were urgent, he should have explained why were they urgent.
However, Minister of Police Mateni Tapueluelu corrected Lord
Tu’ilakepa and told him the law only required the Prime Minister to certify
that the bills were urgent.
Hon. Tapueluelu said the law did not require the Prime
Minister to give the reasons why the Bills were urgent.
Clause 131
Clause 131 of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative
Assembly of Tonga says:
“The Legislative Assembly shall not proceed upon a Bill after
its first reading for a period of two weeks or such longer time that the
Assembly decides is needed to allow members to scrutinise the Bill, and for the
public to make submissions, but this shall not apply to –
(a) Appropriation Bills; and
(b) Bills certified by the Prime Minister to be urgent.”
MP Mo’ale Finau asked the Acting Speaker whether he would accept
Hon. Pohiva rewriting his letter the
following day to include the reasons why the government wanted the Bills and
the amendments to be passed urgently.
However, Lord Tu’ilakepa did not agree. He said he had the
Prime Minister’s letter with him but he was just wanted to question why these
Bills were urgent.
MP Finau said he thought Lord Tu’ilakepa wanted the Prime
Minister to write the same kind of letter as the one submitted with the urgent
Investment Bills. He said Hon. Pohiva could do that and submitted the following
day.
In Tongan the noble replied: “ ‘Ikai, ko e me’a pē ia ‘a e
‘Eiki Palēmia kae ‘ikai ke pehē ia keu fakavavevave, kuo ‘osi ‘etau taimi
‘atautolu.”
Time is up
This translates into English as: “No, it is up to the Prime Minister but that does not mean I am in a hurry, our time is up.”
Lord Tu’ilakepa told the House it was better for them to come
the next day and continue discussion.
He said he did not want Members to be disappointed with him
and how he conducted the House.
He asked Members to pray and asked the Lord to lead them the right way in the House the following day.
He said that was the only reason why he wanted the House to postpone its business until the following day.
For
more information
Nobles and Cabinet meeting deadlocked
as gov’t blocks decision for another public consultation on new Bills
