Gargantuan Is The Word For

Tonga's Latest Celebration

From 7 FUTA HELU, in Nukualofa Scouts of distant rain pitched their cloud-tents on the eastern horizon during the early hours of June 4, but a cool and moderately strong breeze wafted them over to the western ocean and left one excited nation to celebrate its independence in peace and fine weather.

It was the first of four days, crammed full with ceremonies, feasting, dancing, in which the King of Tonga, Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, and his people, celebrated Tonga’s independence and joining with the Commonwealth.

The four days and nights were blessed with fine warm weather and clear skies such as had never been known in any previous katoanga (celebration) of such prolonged duration.

Cnmmred to thp nrevinm katoanea everything at the independence celebrations was planned on gargantuan dimensions. The element of time was also sometimes waived m true Tongan style.

There were other minor differences, The quality, number, and beauty of archways appreciably fell, primarily because the two katoangas were too close to each other, with the undesirable result that schoolchildren, who are always responsible for these

things, were still smarting from finger bruises received through not hitting the nail on the head during archway construction on the royal visit.

Celebrations opened with a flag raising ceremony at Mala’e Pangai, a large rectangular green, lined at the sides with great pine trees, adjoining the royal palace. After the flag was raised to the masthead there was a 21 gun salute from the shore battery and HMS Whitby, King Taufa’ahau inspected the Royal Guards and ToSga Defence Fork Then the Secretary to Government Mr. I. Faletau, read the official communication of the two governments — Britain and Tonga — during of negotiations that led to in ep n .

R was , evident from these that the negotiations were earned out in a spirit of complete goodwill and that Britain played a major part in initiating the independence.

The king in delivering the official

address of the day, stressed the significance of three years—lB62 (the year in which George Tupou I emancipated the people from serf dorn), 1875, granting of the present constitution, and 1970.

The king observed that different nations acquire independence through different processes. In Britain, liberty wa s an outcome of parliamentary action, whereas in Tonga it was the re\erse that took place. Tupou I without pressure from any quarter had liberated the people in 1862 and tadl grown both conshtu- The “ n P ko told his people that tfa word indeP endence did not do just f ce £ fhis histor i c occasion . J t u at tprm re ferred to a

created Sonthathadkst

freed itself from external control. anc j WO uld have to choose a head of state, new flag, and national anthem, Tonga was merely reverting to her former status, which she had to forgo temporarily because of some international political emergency.

King Taufa'ahau, in the uniform of Commander-in-Chief, inspects a Tonga Defence Force guard of honour during the celebrations in Nukualofa.-Photo: "Fiji Times".