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Pōhiva calls Lord Tu‘ivakanō’s advice for king to dissolve House worthless

By
Kalino Latu
-

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said former Speaker Lord Tu’ivakanō’s advice for the king to
dissolve Parliament had proved to be worth nothing (“Tatau mo e fo‘i noa”).

He said people understood what he was talking about and that was why they returned him
and the Democrats to Parliament with an increased majority to Parliament in the snap
election.

“I am wondering what Tu’ivakanō would think of after the elections,” Hon Pōhiva said.

The Prime Minister said Parliament should replace Lord Tu’ivakanō on Monday.

His Majesty King Tupou VI dissolved Parliament after he received advice from the Speaker of Parliament Lord Tu’ivakanō.

At the time, Acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu said the king had the prerogative to not explain why he had dissolved the House.

Lord Tu‘ivakanō later released a statement outlining the reasons why he advised the king to
dismiss the House.

He said he was concerned Hon. Pōhiva and his Party were trying to remove some of the
king’s power.

Hon. Pōhiva said the king still held the power of veto to reject any laws the Parliament has
passed.

He said the proposal they had been about to submit to Parliament would have to have been
signed by the king to become law.

“If the king did not like those amendments he would not sign them and we would have to
abide by his decision,” Hon. Pōhiva told Kaniva News.

He said the constitution allowed any Tongan to submit any laws and the process was clear.

They had to be submitted to the House to be discussed and if they were passed they had to
be taken to the king to sign. If the king did not want that law to come into effect he would
not sign it.

“That’s why I said Lord Tu’ivakanō has given wrong advice to the king to dissolve
Parliament,” Hon. Pōhiva said.

New Speaker

Next Monday (December 18), all MPs will elect Tonga’s next Prime Minister, the new
Speaker of Parliament and their deputies.

The new Speaker must be one of the king’s noble MPs, according to the constitution.
Hon. Pōhiva implied that if his Party won the premiership, they would vote for a new
Speaker.

He said he no longer trusted Lord Tu’ivakanō after he had “badly advised” the king.

“I and the PTOA have the numbers to decide who is our next Speaker,” Hon Pōhiva said.

Hon. Pōhiva has praised Lord Fakafanua as a “brillant” well educated young noble who had
shown himself to be bright and clever when he became Speaker of the House in 2010.

The main points

  • Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said former Speaker Lord Tu’ivakanō’s advice for the
    king to dissolve Parliament last year had proved to be worth nothing (“Tatau mo e
    fo‘i noa”).
  • He said that was why the people returned him and the Democrats to Parliament with
    an increased majority to Parliament in the snap election.
  • The Prime Minister said Parliament should replace Lord Tu’ivakanō on Monday.
  • He said he no longer trusted Lord Tu’ivakanō after he had “badly advised” the king.

For more information
Non Party MPs should support PTOA and refrain from nominating a PM designate, says
Pōhiva

Speaker confirms date of election for Prime Ministership for Monday 18

By
Kalino Latu and Philip Cass
-

The Interim Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Lord Tangi ’o e Vaonukonuka, has confirmed the date of the vote for the Prime Ministership will be Monday 18.

Lord Tangi will hold a meeting with the Elected Representatives to the Legislative Assembly of Tonga on Monday, at the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.

The Interim Speaker will chair and lead this meeting where the Elected Representatives will elect the Prime Minister Designate from the two nominated Candidates.

Read more: Election date for Tonga next Prime Minister confirmed

The names of the Candidates and those who moved and seconded their respective nominations will be revealed at the meeting, the Interim Speaker said in a statement this morning.

MPs will also elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

Two nominations have been received for the post of Prime Minister.

The first nomination was lodged by MP for Tongatapu 10, Hon. Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa, on
December 5.

A second nomination was received from former Deputy Prime Minister and Vava’u 15 MP
Hon. Sāmiu Kuita Vaipulu.

While details of the nominations are yet to be revealed, one of them is expected to be Hon.
‘Akilisi Pōhiva, whose Democratic Party was returned to power in the snap election called
after the king dismissed parliament.

Kaniva News reported earlier this week that Hon. Pōhiva had called on nobles and non-
Democratic Party Members of Parliament to support his Party and refrain from nominating
any more Prime Minister designates.

Hon. Pōhiva said he understood the nine Noble members had been split on the idea.

Hon. Vaipulu challenged Hon. Pōhiva for the premiership after the 2014 election.

Hon. Pōhiva won with the support of 15 of 17 People’s Representatives, including all 10 MPs from his party, and five of the seven independent members.

All nine Nobles’ Representatives voted for Vaipulu.

Teufaiva stadium ready for business

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Tongan authorities said Teufaiva stadium is now ready for national and international events.

The New Zealand High Commissioner to Tonga, Sarah Walsh, has officially marked the
completion of the Teufaiva playing field on Wednesday.

In 2014, the New Zealand Government announced that it would contribute NZ$2 million
towards upgrading Tonga’s national stadium in Nuku’alofa.

The aims of New Zealand’s contribution were to upgrade the Teufaiva Stadium playing field to encourage tourism, provide a quality venue for international, national and community events, and promote sports and active lifestyles for all ages.

The New Zealand High Commissioner praised the work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
and the New Zealand company, Field Drainage Specialists, who installed irrigation and
drainage systems, and the new playing surface, ahead of schedule.

The major construction works have been built to World Rugby standards, and earlier this year provided the opportunity for international test rugby matches to return to the Kingdom after nine years.

“New Zealand’s investment in the Teufaiva playing field is not only an investment in the
future of sports in Tonga today, but one which will continue to serve Tonga and its
people long into the future”, said Ms Walsh.

Methamphetamine seized in drug operation in South Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Six people have been arrested and an estimated 30kg of methamphetamine has been seized following a second wave of terminations in relation to Operation Sweden.

Those arrested yesterday were in Manukau, Lower Hutt and Masterton.

 These arrests follow the arrest of 11 people last week in Masterton on drugs charges as part of the same operation.

“Police are committed to protecting the community from the harm of illegal drugs and the arrests over the last week will go a long way to disrupting the supply chain for methamphetamine in the Wairarapa and the wider Wellington region,” said Detective Senor Sergeant Tim Leitch of the Wellington Drugs and Organised Crime Unit.

Five men and one woman were arrested yesterday with two facing charges in relation to the possession of methamphetamine and the other four facing conspiracy to supply methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine charges.

“Methamphetamine is a destructive drug that has no place in our communities.

While this drug is destroying the lives of users it is also harming the friends, family and community surrounding each user,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Leitch.

Operation Sweden has been a collaborative effort from Police staff across Wairarapa, Wellington and Counties Manukau.

 In addition to the arrests and seizure of methamphetamine a significant sum of cash has also been recovered.

Those arrested yesterday have appeared in court today with four remanded in custody and two released on bail.

Decision by Pacific Sport Council to sue Tonga “a waste of time”, says Justice Minister

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Minister of Justice says a decision by the Pacific Sport Council to sue Tonga after it
cancelled hosting the Pacific Games in 2019 was a waste of time.

The Tonga Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee confirmed yesterday that
the Pacific Games Council (PGC) General Assembly fully supported taking Legal action
against the Tongan Government.

“All the members of the PGC General Assembly supported the legal action against the
Government of Tonga because of its cancellation of the hosting of the 2019 Pacific Games,”
the TASANOC statement said.

“The steps taken by the General Assembly of the Pacific Games Council to sue the
Government of Tonga was given full support by the membership of the Council – the 22
countries and territories of the Pacific – at its meeting held in Port Vila last Sunday, 10th
December, at the half-way point of the 2017 Vanuatu Pacific Games.”

It said the Council’s legal counsel in Tonga, lawyer William Edwards Jnr, has been instructed
to proceed on its behalf.

The damages sought by the Council were reported to be in the millions, it said.

However, the Minister of Justice, Hon. Vuna Fā’otusia, has questioned the grounds for action and the jurisdiction of the legal action taken by the Pacific body.

“What is the damage?” he asked.

“We told them we cannot afford hosting the Games and we do not have money for the upkeep and maintenance of the facilities after the Games.”

“Which court are they going to take the government to? The international Court?”

As Kaniva News reported in May, the Tongan government cancelled the Games because it decided it could not afford the expenses.

In June Parliament voted 12-9 to defeat a motion to keep the Games in Tonga.

Meanwhile, the Council has suspended Tahiti’s Pacific Games Association PGC membership
from the Games after a boycott organized by the French Polynesian Government – which
requested its local sporting federations not attend the 2017 Mini Games.

The French territory boycotted the event because the PGC continued to recognise a local
boxing federation that had been dismissed by the Government in favour of a rival boxing
federation.

Climate change could wash away Tonga’s economic growth warns ADB

By
Philip Cass
-

Inflation will remain steady and the economy will grow in 2018, but Tonga’s economic future could be swept away by climate change, the Asian Development Bank has warned.

According to the ADB’s latest Pacific Economic Monitor, inflation will remain unchanged at 2.5% and the GDP will grow from 2.8% to 3.5% in 2018.

However, the ADB also warned that Tonga ranked second highest country (behind Vanuatu) at risk from natural disasters.

Tonga’s location exposed it to a higher chance of natural disaster.

Its placing was also determined by its ability to cope with a disaster and to adapt in the aftermath.

“Tonga is already experiencing the effects of climate change, as increasing variability in rainfall patterns is causing more severe flooding and droughts,” the Pacific Economic Monitor said.

“The rising ocean temperatures have led to coral bleaching and destroyed natural coastal barriers, and sea level rise is contributing to coastal erosion.

“These changes have increased the country’s exposure to disasters caused by climatic events, such as tropical cyclones and storm surges, which have inflicted significant economic losses.

“Tonga is also highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis because of its location and geology.”

The Monitor said Cyclone Ian had cost Tonga TP$55.5 million, or the equivalent of 12.5% of GDP.

The ADB said Pacific nations need to do more to adapt to more extreme weather conditions.

Changes were needed to mitigate disaster risks to improve the region’s economic growth and development prospects.

Tonga’s volcanic island could offer clue to how Red Planet formed

By
Philip Cass
-

A volcanic island that rose out of the sea off Tonga in 2014 may help NASA scientists who
want to understand how Mars formed.

It could also help determine whether there might have once been life on the Red Planet.

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai emerged in December of that year and initially it was thought it would only last a few months.

However, the island has grown and changed shape and scientists think the chemical
composition of the rock has changed to make it more stable.

Now they think it could last for anything from six to 30 years.

NASA has been making 3D maps of the islands so it can understand erosion processes. The
American space agency will also undertake a chemical analysis of rock samples from the
island.

With the permission of the Tongan government, NASA recruited two French sailors who
were in Tongan waters in June this year to take photos and collect rock samples.

Research into Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai could help explain how similar features on other planets formed.

Chief scientist of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, Jim Garvin, said it was thought there were volcanic eruptions on Mars at a time when large areas were covered in water.

“We may be able to use this new Tongan island and its evolution as a way of testing
whether any of those represented an oceanic environment or ephemeral lake
environment,” Garvin told Ellen Gray of NASA’s Earth Science news team.

Hot, wet, environments such as these, could be good places to look for evidence that there
had once been life on Mars.

Eruption

When Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai was born, it spewed large white plumes of ash high into the sky which could be seen clearly from Tongatapu, 60km away.

As Kaniva News reported at the time, flights from New Zealand and Australia and internal
flights were cancelled or diverted because of the eruption.

The Tongan government said volcanic activity south east of Hunga Ha’apai had been
reported by a fishing boat on the morning of December 20, 2014.

For more information 

NASA Shows New Tongan Island Made of Tuff Stuff, Likely to Persist Years

NASA satellites captured the formation of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai

Tonga’s fierce volcanic eruption disrupts flights across the South Pacific

Supreme Court declares Public Service Commission’s decision on CEO was unlawful

By
Philip Cass
-

The Supreme Court has declared that the Public Service Commission’s decision not to
appoint Mr. Ringo Fa’oliu as CEO of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism was unlawful.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen granted Mr. Fa’oliu leave to apply for a review of the
Commission’s decision of July 11, 2016 not to appoint him.

“In my view the interests of the parties and the public can be best advanced if the
Commission is now free to re-advertise the role of CEO for the Ministry,” Mr Justice Paulsen
said.

“Mr. Fa’oliu will of course be entitled to apply for the position on an even footing with all other applicants.”

The Supreme Court heard an appeal from Mr. Fa’oliu for a declaration that the decision of
the Commission not to re-appoint him as CEO was unlawful and directing the Commission
to consult with the Minister and appoint him as the CEO of the Ministry.

Fa’oliu was interviewed for the position in 2015 and was given to understand that his
appointment was imminent.

However, the Commission’s chairman, Mr. Liava’a, wrote to the Minister, saying that a
series of reports indicated that during Mr. Fa’oliu’s previous term as CEO, there had been failures to comply with procurement procedures, significant overpayments to
contractors and the inappropriate use of daily paid workers without regard for public
service policy or budget allocations.

The most serious finding was that Mr Fa’oliu had approved overpayments of nearly TP$ 1
million to contractors working on the Cyclone Ian Reconstruction Project in Ha’apai.

In August that year Mr Liava’a wrote to the Minister again, advising him that after
considering the reports the Commission had decided not to re-appoint Mr Fa’oliu.

A lengthy and complicated legal battle ensued, with, among other matters, the Commission
offering to reconvene the recruitment process. During this period the Commission
considered another report on the former CEO and used this as the basis for making a new
decision not to re-appoint him, a report of which Mr Fa’oliu was not immediately made
aware.

The Commission also obtained legal advice, which said that Mr Fa’oliu should be
reappointed, advice which it rejected.

Mr Fa’oliu asserted that since Mr Liava’a had chaired one of the enquiries that found against
him, he had a conflict of interest as chairman of the commission.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said this question of bias lay at the heart of his decision on the
case.

When Mr. Liava’a sat on the Committee that prepared one of the reports he agreed with findings that reflected badly on Mr. Fa’oliu’s fitness to be CEO of the Ministry, the judge said.

When he then sat on the Commission to consider Mr. Fa’oliu’s appointment he was likely to have already formed a view that Mr. Fa’oliu was not a suitable person to be reappointed to that role.

The judge said it could not be expected that Mr. Liava’a would impartially assess Mr.
Fa’oliu’s responses when he was directly challenging findings that Mr. Liava’a himself had made.

It was too much to expect that Mr. Liava’a would consider that what Mr. Fa’oliu had to say might be incorrect.

“I think any fair minded observer would conclude that Mr. Liava’a was likely to have had a biased disposition towards Mr. Fa’oliu,” the judge said.
However, despite finding the Commission had acted unlawfully, the judge issued a word of
caution.

“It cannot be denied that the information which the Commission had before it casts a
shadow over the prospect of Mr. Fa’oliu’s appointment,” he said.

“It is an unanswered question whether the Commission would have refused to appoint Mr.
Fa’oliu if Mr. Liava’a had not been involved. In light of the findings made against Mr Fa’oliu in the three reports it is quite possible that it might have done so.”

Kevini Maka’s family not satisfied with progress of investigation

By
Kalino Latu
-

The parents of Kevini Maka whose body was found in a waterway just about 100 metres away from his home in Pātangata said they were not satisfied with Police investigation reports.

As Kaniva News reported in September, Tonga Police have treated the 22-year-old’s death as suspicious after his body was pulled from the newly constructed waterway.

It followed with a Police investigation but no arrest has been made.

Kevini’s father Taupeamuhu and mother ‘Ofa Maka told us in an interview yesterday Police told them the investigation has stalled after investigators were unable to link forensic evidence and information provided to them by witnesses to a suspect.

Taupeamuhu said at one stage Police interviewed them together with 14 other witnesses.

He said what he gathered from some of these witnesses had led him to believe Police should have enough evidence to make an arrest.

“I do not know anything about how Police investigate but I can tell from what those witnesses had talked about Police should now held someone accountable for our son’s death,” Taupeamuhu said in Tongan.

Kaniva News was talking to the Makas yesterday at Tu’atākilangi while they were at a Design Service to pay for a banner to decorate their son’s cemetery in Talafo’ou.

‘Ofa said the decoration was part of a preparation for the Talafo’ou Day.

She said they updated Police from time to time whenever they got new information.

She said they were planning to see a lawyer to advise them on what they could do next as they really wanted justice for their son.

The Makas were originally from Talafo’ou but they are residing in Pātangata.

Police did not respond to our request for comment.

Non Party MPs should support PTOA and refrain from nominating a PM designate, says Pōhiva

By
Kalino Latu
-

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said nobles and non Democratic Party Members of Parliament
should support his Party and refrain from nominating any more Prime Minister designates.

Hon. Pōhiva said he understood the nine members of the nobles had been split on the idea.

The Prime Minister talked positively to some of the nobles including two newly elected
members of the nobility, Lord Fakafanua, a former Speaker of Parliament and Lord Vaha’i.

When Kaniva News pushed for Pōhiva to say if he would give these two MPs any ministerial
or governorship posts he said nothing has been decided yet.

He appeared to imply that if the Democrats became the next government the offices would
be filled with commoners in his Party and no nobles would be appointed, as happened in
2014.

After that election Hon. Pōhiva appointed Lord Ma’afu as Minister of Land and Survey as
well as Minister of His Majesty’s Armed Forces.

He also appointed Lord Fulivai as governor for Vava’u.

“I just wanted to show the nobility at the time we did not forget them when we got the power,” Hon. Pōhiva said.

The Prime Minister said in the past he could see there was a huge difference between a
commoner and a noble when they were elected to a government office. He claimed that in
some instances commoners had done better in government positions than nobles.

Calls for unity

The Prime Minister said he understood that after the snap election there were calls from
Tongan academics and even his critics for his Party to work together with the nobles and the other three people’s MPs, who were not members of his Party, to build the nation.

“Those calls should have been directed to the nobles and those three MPs not me and my
Party,” Hon. Pōhiva told Kaniva News.

He said the people spoke to the nation after the landslide victory that gave them 97 percent of the 17 seats for people’s representatives in Parliament.

“The people wanted us to continue with what we were doing before the dissolution of
Parliament,” Hon. Pōhiva said.

Campaign

He said some of his Party members, including the Niua 17 MP Vātau Hui and
Tongatapu 5 MP Losaline Mā’asi, alleged they had been promised money and high government offices by some members of the nobility if they left the PTOA and joined them under a Prime Minister designate of their own.

Hon. Pōhiva said he strongly trusted his Party’s 14 MPs elected in the last election stood firm for him.

As Kaniva News reported earlier today, MPs will vote on the Prime ministership on
December 18.

For more information

Election date for Tonga’s next Prime Minister confirmed

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