Tonga’s newly appointed anti corruption commissioner, James Christopher LaHatte, appointed by King Tupou VI as Tonga’s first Anti-Corruption Commissioner to start in July said that the biggest challenge he’ll face is differentiating cultural norms from corruption.
LaHatte, a New Zealand barrister and mediator, when speaking to Radio NZI, emphasised the need to understand Tongan culture, particularly practices such as gift-giving, which is culturally correct but may be viewed as corrupt elsewhere.
“So gift giving, for example, I’m aware is a big part of Tongan culture,” he said. “There’s going to be a line sometimes between what is appropriate and culturally required, and something which goes beyond that. “So I’m going to have to learn a lot about how these things work, so that I have an understanding of what is corruption and what is culturally safe.”
“Behavior that might be seen as culturally appropriate could be seen in other places as corruption,” LaHatte said. He aims to learn the nuances of Tongan customs to define what constitutes corruption.
The culture of gift-giving recently became contentious when several Tongan MPs lost their seats for engaging in what was deemed as corrupt practices during election campaigns.
LaHatte intends to focus on education and awareness to help Tongans understand the boundaries of corruption.
Winning public trust is important for LaHatte, who believes that demonstrating the commission’s integrity will encourage people to report corrupt practices. The Anti-Corruption Commission Act, enacted in 2007, only saw real progress with the passing of the Anti-Corruption Bill in February 2023.
Local lawyer and former government adviser Lopeti Senituli supported the new appointment saying it was long overdue, a role that extends beyond the limitations of the Ombudsman’s office to include both government and the private sector.
