Premiership candidate Siaosi Sovaleni’s faction has confirmed this evening they have 12 MPs altogether in the lead up to the election of the Prime Minister-designate.
Interim Education Minister Sovaleni, Interim Minister of Justice Samiu Vaipulu, Ha’apai Governor Viliami Manuopangai, MP Sevenitini Toumo’ua, MP Sangster Saulala, MP Dr Saia Piukala, Interim MEIDECC Minister Poasi Tei, MP Tevita Pulokai, MP Dr Viliami Latu and Interim Minister of Labour and Economic Development Tatafu Moeaki. Photo/ MP Tevita Fatafehi Puloka (Facebook)
They provisionally only need two MPs before winning the election without the support of the nobility MPs.
The faction met in Kolomotu’a today before the statement was posted to Facebook by Tongatapu 1 MP Tevita Fatafehi Puloka.
The post was accompanied by a photo which appeared to show 10 MPs including Interim Education Minister Sovaleni, Interim Minister of Justice Samiu Vaipulu, Ha’apai Governor Viliami Manuopangai, MP Sevenitini Toumo’ua, MP Sangster Saulala, MP Dr Saia Piukala, Interim MEIDECC Minister Poasi Tei, MP Tevita Puloka, MP Dr Viliami Latu and Interim Minister of Labour and Economic Development Tatafu Moeaki.
The post also said two MPs missing from the photo were MP Semisi Fakahau and MP Veivosa Taka.
“It’s clear 12 MPs are supporting Siaosi Sovaleni to become the Prime Minister”, the post read in Tongan.
“MPs in the photos attend our meeting at the Longoteki ‘A e Tangata ‘Isileli in which the total number of our members was confirmed.
This group wishes that all other MPs join us so we can make just one group before we ask for the support of the chiefs”.
Withdrawal
Meanwhile, Interim Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa appeared to have pulled out of the election due to lack of supports for him, something which definitely affected the requirement by law for two other MPs to nominate and support him as a candidate, an anonymous newly elected MP told Kaniva. Tu’i’onetoa could not be reached for comment.
As we reported yesterday, Tu’i’onetoa only got one support from the MPs, apparently MP Vatau Hui, after the rest of his interim ministers appeared to have left him in the lurch.
Tu’i’onetoa was said to have joined premiership candidate Dr ‘Aisake Eke’s bloc. Our source said Dr Eke’s group has the support of four MPs including Dr ‘Uhilamoelangi Fasi also known as Dr Pingi, Dr Taniela Fusimalohi, Dr Tu’i’onetoa and MP Vatau Hui.
Rival MPs
It is understood Dr Eke and Sovaleni’s rival groups were still contacting their rival MPs in an attempt to win their hearts before the Interim Speaker announced the election date on December 14.
It is also understood two MPs who attended Sovaleni’s meeting this afternoon told the faction they have been invited by Dr Eke’s group to join them.
In the latest twist in the premiership election this week three serious candidates are now vying for the attention of the newly elected MPs.
Dr ‘Aisake Eke. Photo/Tonga Broadcasting Commission (Facebook)
We can now reveal that Dr ‘Aisake Valu Eke is the third candidate who was picked by the third group of MPs on Friday.
The other two candidates are the interim Prime Minister Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa and his Interim Minister of Education Siaosi Sovaleni.
It appears that Sovaleni currently got the highest number of supports from the MPs which was eight (8), Dr Eke seven (7) and Dr Tu’i’onetoa only has the support of one MP including him making it two (2), an anonymous newly elected MP told Kaniva News. The source said it can be that some MPs could switch allegiance and join the other groups this week.
Unworkable system of democracy
Tonga’s unworkable system of democracy has been proven to fail to provide a fixed political apparatus that can allow a people’s majority rule to elect the Prime Minister. This time the election of the Prime Minister will definitely have to rely on the common sense and the discretion of all the MPs.
However, this means that the growing consensus to elect the best Prime Minister could be jeopardised by the MPs’ personal interests and allegiances.
Given the situation, the simplest way to choose the best candidate is not to vote for somebody who has done or been accused of doing anything wrong.
Dr Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva Tonga)
Dr ‘Aisake Eke
Dr Eke’s arrival comes as a surprise to many, especially the fact he was supported by three of the MPs who held Doctorates of Philosophy in various academic fields. Discontent with his leadership has been swirlingwithin the public recently.The former Minister of Finance’s involvement with jailed government minister Akosita Lavulavu and her husband ‘Etuate Lavulavu has tainted his record.
The presiding judge in the Lavulavu case said Dr Eke “was not desirous for the truth” and could not produce any evidence of what he was saying in court in support of the Lavulavus. Although Dr Eke responded publicly and denied what the judge had said his denial backfired against him with the Tonga Law Society accusing him of a possible contempt of court. The decent thing for Dr Eke to do is to appeal the judge’s comment through a preservation of his record application.
He was also accused of failing to comply with the Cabinet’s rule of collective decision when he abstained from the vote of no confidence against ‘Akilisi Pohiva, leading to his forced resignation in 2017. His Doctor of Philosophy which was based on his thesis “An exploratory study on the quality of service in the public sector in Tonga” was awarded by the University of Southern Queensland in 2013.
Minister of Education, Siaosi Sovaleni. Photo/Facebook
The Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Australia, and former Tonga Auditor General has been accused of abusing the media and Opposition MPs, awarding of government multi-millions contracts to companies with strong government and close family ties as well as refusing for months to deal with his jailed Cabinet Minister Akosita Lavulavu.
Siaosi Sovaleni
The former dux of Tonga’s top High School, Tonga High School and Masters degree at Oxford and an MBA at the University of the South Pacific awardee was dismissed, along with former Minister of Finance Tevita Lavemaau, in 2017.
The then Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva was disappointed with the duo after they were allegedly involved in a conspiracy which led to King Tupou VI’s decision to dissolve Parliament and order a fresh general election that November.
However, Lord Tu’ivakanō who advised the king to dissolve the House, denied that Sovaleni and Lavemaau knew in advance about the plan to dismiss Parliament.
Before their dismissal, Sovaleni and Lavemaau proposed to the Cabinet that TOP$60,000 be allocated to help fund the preparations for the opening ceremony of the St George Palace in 2017. The Cabinet declined the proposal but Lavemaau went ahead and instead of approving $60,000 he approved $80,000.
The new research indicates that the variant can spread more easily than Delta, which was previously the fastest-moving version of the virus. Omicron has been found in at least six states, mostly among travelers.
Underscoring growing concerns about Omicron, scientists in South Africa said on Friday that the newest coronavirus variant appears to spread more than twice as quickly as Delta, which had been considered the most contagious version of the virus.
Omicron’s rapid spread results from a combination of contagiousness and an ability to dodge the body’s immune defenses, the researchers said, but the contribution of each factor is not yet certain.
“We’re not sure what that mixture is,” said Carl Pearson, a mathematical modeler at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who led the analysis. “It’s possible that it might even be less transmissible than Delta.”
Some of these researchers had reported on Thursday that the new variant may partly dodge immunity gained from a previous infection. It’s still unclear whether, or to what degree, Omicron may evade protection conferred by the current vaccines.
The new research was posted on Twitter, and has not yet been peer-reviewed nor published in a scientific journal.
The Omicron variant has appeared in nearly two dozen countries. The United States has identified at least 10 cases in six states, and health officials say that community spread of the virus is inevitable. President Biden reiterated on Friday morning that his administration’s newest pandemic measures, announced earlier this week, should be sufficient to blunt the spread of Omicron.
The variant was first identified in South Africa on Nov. 23 and has quickly come to account for about three-quarters of new cases in the country. South Africa reported 11,535 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a 35 percent jump from the day before, and the proportion of positive test results increased to 22.4 percent from 16.5 percent.
“It is actually really striking how quickly it seems to have taken over,” said Juliet Pulliam, the director of an epidemiological modeling center at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, who led the earlier research on immunity.
Omicron cases in particular are doubling roughly every three days in Gauteng province, home to South Africa’s densely populated economic hub and now the epicenter of the country’s fourth wave of infections, the researchers said on Friday.
In a mathematical analysis, they estimated the variant’s Rt — a measure of how quickly a virus spreads — and compared it to the metric for Delta. They found that Omicron’s Rt is nearly 2.5 times higher than that of Delta.
That figure depends not just how contagious the variant may be, but also on its ability to sidestep the body’s immune defenses once it reaches a new host. In related research published on Thursday, Dr. Pulliam and her colleagues estimated the new variant’s ability to evade immunity by looking at confirmed cases in the country through late November.
They reported an uptick in reinfections among people who had tested positive for the virus at least 90 days earlier, suggesting that the immunity gained from a previous bout with the virus was not lasting as long as it had. The increase in reinfections coincided with Omicron’s spread in the country.
The team did not confirm that the reinfections they observed were due to the variant, but said it was a reasonable assumption. A similar spike did not occur when the Beta and Delta variants were dominant, the scientists noted.
Dr. Pulliam and her colleagues estimated that the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant is roughly 2.4 times greater than the risk seen with the original version of the coronavirus.
The rise in cases in South Africa has been accompanied by a week-over-week increase in hospital admissions, already higher than seen in previous waves, according to data from South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
But it is not yet clear whether Omicron causes more severe disease than other versions of the coronavirus. The percentage of new cases found in children younger than age 5 has also risen sharply in the country, but that may be because more adults are now immunized.
Democratic (PTOA) spokesperson MP Semisi Fakahau says a third group of MPs has joined the race to choose Tonga’s new Prime Minister.
Hon Semisi Fakahau
The group appears to include all the PTOA Party’s four elected MPs, namely Dr Saia Piukala, Sangstar Saulala, Veivosa Taka and Fakahau.
In an interview with Radio FM 87.5, Fakahau confirmed the group’s existence, but did not say who its members were, just saying in Tongan “our group”.
He said the group was originally formed to support former Speaker Lord Fakafanua to become a candidate for the premiership. Lord Fakafanua later pulled out after all the Nobility MPs agreed to stay out of the premiership candidacy or engage in any horse trading in return for seats in the new Cabinet.
Fakahau said his group decided to pursue the premiership after Lord Fakafanua’s withdrawal.
PTOA loss
The revelation was a relief in the PTOA after they lost both their rival leaders and majority votes in some strongholds with defeats to seven independent candidates among People’s Representatives in the November general elections.
The PTOA Party was split in the lead up to the elections with the creation of two rival groups — the PTOA People’s Board led by Siaosi Pōhiva and PTOA Core Team led by Sēmisi Sika.
PTOA top senior members, including Mateni Tapueluelu,Mo’ale Finau, Losaline Ma’asi, PTOA People’s Board leader Pōhiva and Core Team leader Sika were all defeated.
Potential candidates
As Kaniva News reported early this week, two other candidates for the premiership are Siaosi Sovaleni and interim Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, with the third group now has yet to name its candidate. Unconfirmed reports on Facebook by PTOA supporters named Fakahau as the party’s candidate and Dr Saia Piukala as Deputy. Some support Piukala as Prime Minster and Fakahau as Deputy.
We said in our report on Wednesday that four MPs supported Tu’i’onetoa, while 11 MPs supported Sovaleni. Given Fakahau’s revelation this week, it appears the level of support for Tu’i’onetoa could still stand because of what appears to be some kind of mutual agreements between him and his former Cabinet Ministers. However, support for Sovaleni has diminished, apparently after the PTOA MPs said they would no longer support him.
The introduction of a third group to contest the election for Prime Minister could spur some Independents to support the PTOA MPs. This could be because of Fakahau’s seniority and because he is regarded as a silent, but diligent worker, highly revered locally for his years of service as a fisheries advisor to the Commonwealth Secretariat. Dr Piukala is regarded as a well-spoken and eloquent speaker.
The fact that horse trading with the PTOA is more likely to be a done deal given their smaller number could be a perfect determiner for some independents.
Kingmakers
The Noble’s representatives in Parliament are still the kingmakers because they are in the majority with nine seats. The nobility made it clear they wanted the people’s 17 MPs to meet and stand together and make the wisest decision when they vote.
Lord Tu’ivakano, the spokesperson for the Nobility MPs told Radio FM 87.5 they would support whichever group made the best choice.
The numbers now give the PTOA five or six votes, Sovaleni six or seven and Tu’i’onetoa five. These numbers are not yet fixed and subject to changes before the election in about two weeks’ time.
The new Prime Minister
As we reported earlier this week there was a lot of doubt about Tu’i’onetoa’s leadership given his poor record in the past two years, during which he has been accused of a number of shortcomings.
Sovaleni has been widely supported, given he had the highest total vote of all the other MPs. However, critics say he is too young to lead the country.
This means the PTOA MPs and whichever independents supporting them have more opportunities to choose a candidate who might meet what the nobility MPs are looking for – the best.
The new Prime Minister must be able to unite all the people’s MPs and pick the best to form the government, regardless of which group they supported before the elections.
The group appears to include all the PTOA Party’s four elected MPs, namely Dr Saia Piukala, Veivosa Taka, Sangstar Saulala and Fakahau.
In an interview with Radio FM 87.5, Fakahau confirmed the group’s existence, but did not say who its members were, just saying in Tongan “our group”.
He said the group was originally formed to support former Speaker Lord Fakafanua to become a candidate for the premiership. Lord Fakafanua later pulled out after all the Nobility MPs agreed to stay out of the premiership candidacy or engage in any horse trading in return for seats in the new Cabinet.
Fakahau said his group decided to pursue the premiership after Lord Fakafanua’s withdrawal.
As Kaniva News reported early this week, two other candidates for the premiership are Siaosi Sovaleni and interim Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, with the third group now has yet to name its candidate. Unconfirmed reports on Facebook by PTOA supporters named Fakahau as the party’s candidate and Dr Saia Piukala as Deputy. Some support Piukala as Prime Minster and Fakahau as Deputy.
We said in our report on Monday that four MPs supported Tu’i’onetoa, while 11 MPs supported Sovaleni. Given Fakahau’s revelation this week, it appears the level of support for Tu’i’onetoa could still stand because of what appears to be some kind of mutual agreements between him and his former Cabinet Ministers. However, support for Sovaleni has diminished, apparently after the PTOA MPs said they would no longer support him.
The introduction of a third group to contest the election for Prime Minister could spur some Independents to support the PTOA MPs. This could be because of Fakahau’s seniority and because he is regarded as a silent, but diligent worker, and highly revered locally for his years of service as a fisheries advisor to the Commonwealth Secretariat. Dr Piukala is regarded as a well-spoken and eloquent speaker.
The fact that horse trading with the PTOA is more likely to be a done deal given their small number could be a perfect determiner for some independents.
Kingmakers
The Noble’s representatives in Parliament are still the kingmakers because they are in the majority with nine seats. The nobility made it clear they wanted the people’s 17 MPs to meet and stand together and make the wisest decision when they vote.
Lord Tu’ivakano, the spokesperson for the Nobility MPs told Radio FM 87.5 they would support whichever group made the best choice.
The numbers now give the PTOA five or six votes, Sovaleni six or seven and Tu’i’onetoa five. These numbers are not yet fixed and subject to changes before the election in about two weeks’ time.
The new prime minister
As we reported earlier this week there was a lot of doubt about Tu’i’onetoa’s leadership given his poor record in the past two years, during which he has been accused of a number of shortcomings.
Sovaleni has been widely supported, given he had the highest total vote of all the other MPs. However, critics say he is too young to lead the country.
This means the PTOA MPs and whichever independents support them have more opportunities to choose a candidate who might meet what the nobility MPs are looking for – the best.
The new Prime Minister must be able to unite all the people’s MPs and pick the best to form the government, regardless of which group they supported before the elections.
There are 92 new community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand today.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The Ministry of Health / Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said 80 in Auckland, two in Waikato, one in Northland, five in Bay of Plenty, one in Lakes DHB, one in Nelson-Marlborough and two in Taranaki.
There are also three cases in Taranaki who are known contacts with an established link, bringing the total number of active cases in the region to five. The cases are isolating across three separate households.
On the advice of the public health unit, Devon Intermediate School in New PLymouth is closed today after it was linked to one of the cases. Any further locations of interest will be published on the ministry’s website.
There are 79 people with Covid-19 in hospital, with four still being assessed and nine in intensive care.
Education Ministry figures indicate just 2.4 percent of school teachers, about 1400 people, have refused the Covid vaccination.
Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
The ministry said responses from 94 percent of schools indicated nearly 98 percent of teachers and 95 percent of other staff were vaccinated.
Official figures showed there were 62,600 teachers working in state and state integrated schools, last year and a further 9000 relief teachers so a vaccination rate of nearly 98 percent would translate to more than 1400 unvaccinated teachers.
The ministry warned that its figures were not definitive.
Tai Tokerau had the lowest reported vaccination rates at 93 percent, indicating the region had about 100 teachers refusing the jabs.
Schools in Bay of Plenty and Waiariki reported a vaccination rate of 96 percent for teachers, while Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast and Taranaki, Manawatū, Whanganui reported rates just under 97 percent.
The ministry said Wellington had the highest vaccination rate for registered teachers at 98.3 percent, followed by Canterbury/Chatham Islands, Auckland and Otago/Southland which all had teacher vaccination rates of at least 98 percent.
The ministry said very few schools required its help with staffing as a result of the vaccine mandate.
Since 16 November, unvaccinated staff have been banned from schools and early learning centres. All staff who have contact with children must be fully vaccinated by 1 January 2022.
Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse and suicide.
One of Dilworth’s most prolific child sex offenders has been sentenced to six and a half years in jail.
Ross Douglas Browne in the High Court in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
In October, Ross Douglas Browne pleaded guilty at the Auckland High Court to 16 charges.
In the High Court in Auckland this morning one victim, now an adult, told Browne what he did flipped his life upside down, created a life-long anxiety and ruined relationships he later had, including his marriage.
Others have said they have lived with serious lingering effects caused by his offending.
The 73-year-old had pleaded guilty to 16 charges, most of them in relation to indecently assaulting boys between 1987 and 2004.
Most of the charges were for indecently assaulting boys between 12 and 16 years old.
Eight of his victims have been in the High Court in Auckland today, and more watched court proceedings via a video call.
The mother of one boy, who could not bear to talk about what happened, said her son became addicted to methamphetamine and told her it was to “numb the pain”.
Other victims told the court they had self-harmed or thought of suicide.
One said he had known of multiple former students who had died by suicide after being abused.
Justice Toogood said his offending was premeditated and predatory and sentenced him to six and a half years in prison.
Browne was Dilworth School’s chaplain from 1980 to 2006, and was also the Vicar of the Anglican Parish of Manurewa until he was charged.
He was also involved in youth theatre and a small radio station which young people were involved with.
He was one of 11 men linked to Dilworth School initially charged with historical sexual abuse.
Court documents, which Browne has verified as true, showed he invited boys to a room next to his office known as the Crypt.
In the Crypt, young boys would often sit on Browne’s knee where he touched them inappropriately. He would also offer them massages in their underwear or completely naked, during which he also touched them.
Browne encouraged boys, some as young as 12 years old, to be intimate with each other.
Before leaving the Crypt each day, the boys would be expected to hug Browne.
Separately, in the classroom, Browne ran a “Christian Living Class” where he encouraged boys to openly masturbate during the lesson.
He told them if they were aroused, “it was fine for them to masturbate in the class”. Up to 15 boys at a time did. This happened on multiple occasions, which the court documents say resulted in a “normalising” of the behaviour.
Anglican Bishop of Auckland apologises ‘unreservedly’ to victims
The Anglican Bishop of Auckland Ross Bay said the church apologises unreservedly to Browne’s victims.
He said there is no place for the offending within the Anglican Church and now the court process is complete, a tribunal will take place to determine Browne’s standing in the church.
Permanent removal from the priesthood is one of the sanctions available following a finding of misconduct, Bay said.
Where to get help:
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
The New Zealand government is deploying dozens of Defence Force and police personnel to Honiara in the coming days, “to help restore peace and stability”.
Thursday saw more looting and burning in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara as local police were overwhelmed by angry mobs. November 2021 Photo: Solomons/Facebook
Since rioting and looting started in the Solomon Islands last week, Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea have sent troops to help keep the peace there.
An initial NZDF team of 15 will joint them tomorrow, followed by a larger group of 50 at the weekend.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the response is short-term and to help restore peace and stability.
“New Zealand is committed to its responsibilities and playing its part in upholding regional security,” she said in a statement.
“We are deeply concerned by the recent civil unrest and rioting in Honiara, and following yesterday’s request of the Solomon Islands government, we have moved quickly to provide urgent assistance.
“Every deployment brings its risks and challenges, but our people have vast experience in the Pacific region and are amongst some of the most highly skilled when it comes to deescalating conflict,” Ardern said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand had a deep and long-standing relationship with the Solomon Islands.
“New Zealand will send a deployment of New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Police to Solomon Islands in the coming days. This is a short-term, immediate response and we will continue to monitor the situation,” Mahuta said in a statement.
Samoan police are also on standby to send personnel to assist peacekeeping forces.
The unrest stemmed from a protest calling for the removal of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and left major destruction in the capital.
Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare. Photo: Solomon Islands Government Communications Unit
All New Zealand personnel deploying to Solomon Islands are required to be double vaccinated, have had a negative Covid-19 test before departure and adhere to Solomon Islands Covid-19 testing protocols. They will complete managed isolation on their return.
The New Zealand High Commission in Honiara is providing SafeTravel advice to New Zealanders in Solomon Islands, including that they should follow the instructions and advice of local authorities and exercise care.
