Tonga’s new breed

The dilemma that faces Tonga’s new breed

By a special correspondent, a “Worried Tongan”.

There has been a big awakening in Tonga. The kingdom is on the move. It’s asserting itself, and it’s all due to education. The word here now is “learn”. Learn all day, every day. The kingdom is filled with school children in their uniforms, parading, singing plcn.’ing. New school buildings are going up everywhere and the churches vie with each other to provide the best in education. There never was a time like this.

But some of us are worried.

This gigantic scheme to turn out progressive citizens able to manage their own affairs, can be a tragic failure if these newly educated people have nothing to use their education on. They will expect to be provided with occupations suitable to their newly-acquired skills. But nobody appears to be working on the details as to how this will be done.

Warned

We have already been warned of the frightening problem of the population explosion that faces us in the kingdom, and of the short age of land. There are in fact many acres of untouched jungle land throughout these Friendly Islands requiring cultivation, but they belong to the High Chiefs, who perhaps yet may be persuaded by their sovereign to distribute it.

But land will not necessarily satisfy the new students, who are

already losing their knowledge of traditional ways as they devour books, listen to their transistors, go to the movies and absorb with approval the big outside world of the mini-skirt, the crazy hair-cut, the Beatles and the hippies. These are a new kind of Tongan.

For them, the new world is one of perpetual freedom and hap piness. This is the disturbing factor.

We who worry about the pace, worry about the impact the world is having on Tonga’s children, are called old-fashioned. But surely too much knowledge, too quickly, can be a dangerous thing? Surely we cannot afford to condemn all our old methods and old customs as primitive?

For Tonga, heading for com plete independence next year, there are days ahead calling for challenge and prayer. Let there be calm and mature judgment. That is what Tonga needs.

Tonga is a land of school children, parading and singing. These were taking part in the recent 50th birthday celebrations of King Taufa'ahau.

Photo: Hettig.