‘Oku taupotu ‘i lalo ha fakamatala fakaTonga
COMMENTARY: Recent research has highlighted the presence of anti-vaccination campaigners and right wing conspiracy theories in many countries, including Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, where many Tongans have made a second home.
Kaniva News has shown in recent reports that the Tongan diasporic community in New Zealand is vulnerable to ant-vaccination conspiracy theories.
Why has this happened?
When something unimaginably awful happens people want to know why. Sometimes people seem unwilling to accept that’s sometimes terrible things just happen and so they make up their own stories or find elaborate reasons to explain some random, but tragic, event: A child dies. A volcano explodes. A deadly virus sweeps the world.
Anti-vaccination conspiracies are one example. Research by the New Zealand Ministry of Health and others suggest they have become popular because of education, mistrust of government sources, uncertainty and cultural isolation.
Anti-vaccination theories take many forms. One is that the Covid-19 virus is in fact part of an enormous conspiracy to take over the world by a group of conspirators who want to kill vast numbers of people and then establish a new world order.
Others say Microsoft Founder Bill Gates and his former wife Melinda are secretly funding the development of vaccines that actually kill people.
Many versions of these stories say the government or many governments are behind this.
The other is that this is a sign of the End Times and that vaccination is part of a Satanic conspiracy.
But none of these theories add up.
One reason, of course, is that for these theories to work, millions and millions of people would have to be involved and all of it would somehow have to be covered up.
For another, every democracy and emerging democracy has checks and balances that monitor what governments do. The media are there to challenge the actions of the rich and powerful and call them to account.
Tonga is a democratic country and the majority of people live by democratic principles and mechanisms such as transparency, accountability and good governance.
And yet still some people believe Covid-19 is a fake, or designed to kill people.
Surprisingly, even some people who push the hardest for democratic reforms, have been pushing conspiracy theories. They have claimed that a vast number of people have been killed by the Covid-19 vaccine, but have not been able to provide a reliable source for their claims.
Equally, they have not been able to provide proof that the government of New Zealand or Tonga are involved. Democratic systems, however imperfectly, have various procedures set in place to reduce mistakes, prevent improper behaviour, or decrease the risk of centralisation of power. This includes the media and its watchdog roles, the opposition parties, scholars and peer reviewers.
For somebody to promote democracy and then say that a democratically (or even partly democratically) elected government is part of a giant conspiracy makes no sense. Democracy is what has stopped these wild theories becoming reality.
Covid-19 and all its conspiracy theories will go away. Democracy will remain.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA:
Kuo ‘i ai ‘a e ngaahi fakatotolo fakaako ki mui mai kuo’ ne fakamahino ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e kau kemipeini fakafepaki’i ‘o e huhu malu’i mo e fakamatala fa’ufa’u hala mo taumu’a kovi a ha kakai oku iloa ko e kau teolisi konisipiulasī ‘i he ngaahi fonua lahi kau ai ‘a Tonga, Ha’amoa, Fisi, Papua Niukini mo Nu’u Sila, ‘a ia ‘oku tokolahi ‘a e kau Tonga ‘oku nau nofo ai.
Kuo fakamahino ‘e he Kaniva ‘i ha ngaahi lipooti fakamuimui ‘oku tu’u laveangofua ‘a e komiuniti Tonga ‘i muli’ ki he fakahē kovi ‘a e kau teolisi konisipiulasī fa’u fakamatala taumu’a kovi ko eni ke fakafepaki’i ha fakamatala lelei mo tali ‘e ha kakai falala’anga kau ki he huhu malu’i.
Ko e hā ‘a e me’a ‘oku hoko ai ‘eni?
Ko e taimi pe oku hoko ai ha me’a fakamanavahē ‘e fiema’u ‘e he kakai ke nau ‘ilo hono ‘uhinga. Taimi ‘e ni’ihi ‘oku ngali ‘ikai ke loto ‘a e kakai ke nau tali oku i ai pe taimi ‘oku hoko ai ha me’a fakamananavahē pea nau fa’u leva ha talanoa ki ai pe kumi ha ngaahi ‘uhinga ke fakamatala’i’aki ngaahi me’a e hoko noa, ka ‘oku fakamamahi ‘ene hoko: Mate ‘a ha ki’i tamasi’i. Pahū ha mo’ungafi. ‘Ohofia ‘e ha vailasi ‘a mamani.
Ko e kau teolisi konisipiulasī ko e taha kinautolu ‘a e fakatātā ‘o ‘eni. ‘Oku fokotu’u mai ‘e ha liseesi (research) ‘a e Potungaue Mo’ui ‘a Nu’u Sila mo e ni’ihi kehe kuo manakoa e fa’ahinga ni tu’unga ‘i he ‘etukeisini, ‘ikai falala ki he ngaahi ma’unga tala ‘a e pule’anga’, ta’efakapapau’i mo e mavahe fakaangafakafonua.
Pehē ‘e ha ni’ihi kuo hanga ‘e he Faunitā ‘o e Microsoft ko Bill Gates mo hono mali’ ki mu’a Melinda ‘o fakapa’anga fakapulipuli ha ngaahi huhu malu’i ke ne tāmate’i e kakai’. Lahi e ngaahi veesi ‘o e ‘ū talanoa ko ‘eni ‘oku pehē ‘oku tamate’i ‘e he ngaahi vekisini’ ‘a e kakai’. Pehē ‘e ha ni’ihi kehe ‘oku teke mei mui ‘a e pule’anga pe ngaahi pule’anga’ he me’a’ ni. Pehē ‘e he ni’ihi kehe ko e faka’ilonga ‘eni ‘o e ngata’anga ‘o taimi’ pea ko e huhu malu’i ko e konga ia ‘o e ngaahi fa’ufa’u kovi faka-Setane. Ka ‘oku hala’atā ke ‘uhinga mālie ha taha ‘o e ngaahi me’a’ ni.
Ko e taha ‘o e ngaahi uhinga he oku fiema’u ia ke laulaui miliona ha kakai kuo hoko kia kinautolu ‘a e ngaahi teoli fa’ufa’u kovi ni pea toki lau ‘oku ngali mooni.
Ko e taha, ko e founga pule fakatemokalati kotoa pe ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e me’afua ki he fesivi’aki pea ‘oku tokanga’i’aki ia ‘a e ngaahi fakahoko fatongia ‘a e pule’anga. ‘Oku kau ai ‘a e mitia pea ‘oku ‘i ai ke ne pole’i ‘a e angafai ‘a e kau tu’umālie mo e kau ma’umafai pea mo e tenge kinautolu ke nau tali ui.
Ko Tonga ko ha fonua fakatemokalati pea ko e tokolahi taha ‘o e kakai ‘oku nau mo’ui’aki ‘a e ngaahi pilinisipolo fakatemokalati mo hono ngaahi mekanīsimi hangē ko e ‘atakitu’a, taliui ki he kakai mo e pule lelei. Kae kei tui pe ha kakai ia ‘e ni’ihi ‘oku loi ‘a e Koviti 19 pe ne tufunga’i ke ne tamate’i ‘a e kakai’.
Ko e me’a ‘oku faka’ohovale’, ko e kakai ‘e ni’ihi ‘oku nau te ke mālohi ‘a e fakalelei fakatemokalati ka nau kei teke pe ‘a e ngaahi teoli konisipilasii’. Kuo nau tala kuo lahi fau a e kakai mate he huhu malu’i, ka kuo te’eki ke nau lava ‘omai ha fakamo’oni ki ai mei he ma’unga tala falala’amga.
Me’atatau pe ‘a e ‘ikai ke nau lava ‘omai ha fakamo’oni ‘oku kau ai a e pule’anga Nu’u Sila pe Tonga’. Oku ‘i ai ‘a e ngaahi polosita kuo ‘i he sistemi fakatemokalati ke ne fakasi’isi’i ‘a e fehalaaki, ta’ofi ‘a e ‘ulungaanga ‘ikai taau, pe fakasi’isi’i ‘a ha nofo pe ‘a e mafai ia ki ha feitu’u ‘e taha. Oku kau heni ‘a e mitia mo hono fatongia kuli le’o, ko e ngaahi paati fakaanga, kau ako mo e kau pialiviu’.
Ka ‘i ai ha taha ‘oku ne tu’uaki ‘a e temokalati pe pule’anga fili ka ne toe tala mai ‘oku kau ‘a e pule’anga fili ki he teoli konisipiulasī oku ‘ikai ke ‘uhinga lelei ia. Ko e temokalati ‘oku ne ta’ofi ‘a e ‘u fakamahalo ko eni. Ko e ngaahi teoli konisipiulasi ko ‘eni ‘e ‘osi pe ia. ‘E kei tu’uma’u pe ‘a e temokalati ia.
