Supa Mario
The island Kingdom has seen a decade of being under administrations that were ran by so called “Political Parties”. While these groups or parties have no legal provisions and control in the Constitution, they have existed nonetheless attracting criticism from known conservatives.
The PTOA Party was initially thought to be the driving mechanism of further political reforms. As recent events had shown, they grew apart within themselves leading to their own downfall. The PAK Party engineered by the infamous Lavulavu was initially thought to be the driving mechanism for uniting the People (Commoners) with the Chiefs and the King. But the PAK Party had displayed an unprecedented performance of favoritism, negligence, etc.
The allure of “Political Parties” in power have slowly faded especially when certain decision makings were very questionable at best and probably illegal at worst if prosecuted in Court. The last PAK-led government made it its prerogative to protect a convicted criminal in Cabinet, another convicted criminal within its own Party and another one which was a Governor. All of which could be due to the distasteful “horse-trading” exercise that had given them power in the first place.
Many were very optimistic that our newly elected “Independents” would perform differently from previous “Party-like” administrations. The optimism was at its peak when it was revealed that the new Prime Minister Elect, Siaosi Sovaleni came to be without no “horse trading” at all. So things seemingly appeared that we were set for something new, something different from what we have seen before.
For many, it was a breath of fresh air. But as with most things in politics, this was just another political illusion! As it turns out, our new Cabinet is just another Political Party with its “Members Only” in Cabinet, replacing the previous one. Yes, exactly just another party under the disguise of “Independents”. Consider the following:
1) Ha’apai-12 representative was recently convicted in Court. He is also rumored to be suffering from a fatal disease and would likely spend a considerable amount of the 4-year term in a hospital. So why is he a Cabinet Minister when others could have been appointed instead? The only reasonable explanation is that his appointment is more of a reward for his vote on the Premiership. Simply put, it is horse-trading, a new “evolved” version of it that we could be seeing in the future.
2) As they voted for the Prime Minister, it was clear that 5 of the 17 representatives did not vote for Siaosi Sovaleni. These included ‘Aisake Eke, Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, ‘Uhilamoelangi Fasi, Taniela Fusimālohi and Vātau Hui. As Sovaleni is now the Prime Minister, none of these 5 were appointed as Minister despite (some of them) having the qualification and experience for certain Portfolios. It is a glaring indication that while the Sovaleni-led government may have been dubbed as “Independents” in power, they are already acting just like another Political Party against their political rivals.
While these groups/parties may differ politically in shape and color, but at the end of the day, they are in essence just another Political Party replacing the other. This is not to emphasize, nor to prematurely predict that this administration would just be another “failed” Political Party like the previous one. Rather, it is to emphasize that there is a problem within the Political Structure that has, time and again, leads us to the same consequential outcome – a Cabinet being led by a “Party” of some sort without its necessary legal provisions in the Constitution.
These “Party-like” administrations have existed since the 2010 reform. Some may refer to this as the transitioning side effects of the reform. But given that this has been observed for more than a decade, it should by now be realized publicly but more importantly, addressed appropriately. This may arguably include further amendments to the Constitution to gather for Political Parties, thus setting a favorable environment to strive in its governance capabilities.
However, a political progress is not the only concern for Tonga. As this new government kicks-off on its term, it will inevitably inherit various financial difficulties. Some of which from the Global Pandemic itself and the other from its predecessor, not to mention the Chinese loan which is a ticking time bomb on the Economy.
Many are still hopeful that the new administration would do better than the previous one. That should be an easy task given that the Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa government had set a very low bar. It is like asking a Professor to do better in an exam that was set for Primary School students.
