Passive

Unlikely For

New King

By A. D. Couper and N. Rutherford

The death of Queen Salote Tupou 111 and the accession of HRH Prince Tupouto’a-Tungi pose a major question concern ing the future direction of affairs

in Tonga.

SINCE 1949 Prince Tungi has been Premier, and during this period he has simultaneously held the posts of Minister for Foreign Affairs, Min ister of Education and Minister of Agriculture.

In addition, Tungi has been chair man of the Copra Board, chairman of the Produce Board, and he has directed the policy of the Tongan Shipping Agency.

Powers of this breadth in a small and predominantly agricultural country have enabled him to exert a strong influence on the most import ant sections of the economy. It is certain, in fact, that the direction which the economy of Tonga has taken during the past few years has been largely determined by the ideas of Prince Tungi.

New Treaty

During 1958 a new Treaty of Friendship was made with Britain which replaced the old treaty of 1900.

Among other things, it removed the requirement that major expenditure by the Government of Tonga had to be approved by the British Consul.

The new treaty may have cleared the way for several bold projects.

Since 1958 the most spectacular de velopments by this small kingdom have been the setting up of a shipping agency and the purchase of new vessels; th e investment in the desiccated coconut industry at Pago Pago; the building of a tourist hotel and shopping arcade in Nukualofa; and the embarking on a major port project at Nukualofa. This wharf con struction is proceeding under a loan from the British Government.

Tongan shipping was originally aimed at providing services within the archipelago, but with new fast ships the agency extended services to Fiji

and Samoa and undertook charters from Rotuma and the Tokelau Islands.

Tungi also recognised the oppor tunities of entering the American market with desiccated coconut; hence the investment in Pago Pago. This latter project led to the purchase of the 2,300-ton Niuvaki to carry nuts between Tonga and Western Samoa.

Tungi’s enthusiasm for attracting tourists to Tonga is well known, and the deep water berth being con structed at Nukualofa is part of this plan, for, on its completion, the large Pacific cruising vessels will be able to lie alongside the town.

The bases of the Tongan economy must nevertheless remain agricultural.

Fishing offers opportunites for diversity and vessels have been pur chased for this purpose.

The greatest change expected on completion of Tungi’s plans will be the virtual ending of the copra industry in Tonga—the people will then be coconut farmers. The aim is to raise the value of coconuts to their highest level—in this case desiccated coco nut, before exporting overseas.

The most interesting aspects of the changes which are taking place in the Tongan economy is the apparent lack of any formal long-term economic planning. The projects so far imple mented were conceived by Prince Tungi and he personally has directed many of them and negotiated with overseas interests to further them.

Apart from shipping, none of the projects has so far reached the stage of earning money for Tonga, but they have been a drain on overseas re serves. Now, with still much to do in the coconut and tourist industry, and overseas reserves to be built up once more, the main initiator may be about to adopt an entirely new role in the kingdom. That is if Tungi follows the conventions of a consti tutional monarch.

Tonga has been a constitutional monarchy since 1875, and for at least the last half century the direction of the political and economic life of the country has been left to a Premier who was nominated by the monarch.

In the early years of constitutional government it was not uncommon for the monarch to intervene directly in political and economic affairs; but under Queen Salote, in particular, it became accepted that the monarch remained above such matters.

As King of Tonga, therefore, Tungi may by this precedent leave the future direction of the projects he has initiated to the government under a Premier.

It seems most unlikely, however, that Tungi will accept such a passive role, and there is nothing in the con stitution which says he should.