Land shortage blots out

the sunrise for Tongans

From a Tongan correspondent

The people of the Kingdom of Tonga, overwhelmingly dependent on the land, are facing a host of pro blems. For one thing, there is a rapidly increasing population on a very limited land area, and for an other there is the land tenure system and consequent corruption.

The estimated 1972 population was 92,360. The 1966 census figure was 77,429. The average annual growth rate is three per cent. It is estimated that if the current rate is maintained, Tonga’s population will reach 200,000 by the end of the century.

The population density has risen from 211 persons a square mile in 1956 to 330 now, and will be about 782 persons a square mile in the year 2000. The newly-claimed man-made islands of Teleki Tonga and Teleki Tokelau on Minerva Reefs are not included in this figure.

The population problem is equally

as great as the land tenure problem and the corruption that inevitably seems to be associated with the system. By the Tongan Constitution, every adult male over 18 years of age is entitled to a tax allotment, comprising eight acres of land and another piece of town allotment to build his house. But due to several factors, this is not always possible.

The present land tenure system developed out of the traditional land tenure in which land belonged to different faahinga, or lineages, under the leadership of a noble. Today, several types of estates exist: Royal estates belonging to the king, Royal Family estates held jointly by the Royal Family, hereditary estates be longing to the nobles and a few matapule (talking chiefs), and government estates under the direct control of the Minister of Lands.

About 60 per cent of the population lives on hereditary estates.

The easiest and most common way to acquire land is through inheritance.

It opposes the constitutional process of acquiring a vacant allotment, for it has become entangled in a problem of power and influence of the titled holder. In fact, for allotments from hereditary estates, applicants do not receive any land unless the original estate holder signs a release to the Minister of Lands, and thereby re gisters his land for future allotments.

Although by law the objections of

an estate holder can be overruled by the minister, few villagers would dare complain against a noble, and the minister would seldom disagree with nobles.

Many estate holders have, there fore, been reluctant to see their estates subdivided, and the land fully allo cated and registered, because regi stration, with its insecurity of tradi tional tenure, reduces the estate holders’ effective power over the peo ple.

This is a major reason why the survey and allocation of allotments has taken so long, and it is mostly only the government estates which have been subdivided.

In less densely-settled areas of the kingdom, much land lies unused.

These landholders have, in the past, opposed subdivision for use, because, if a landholder did not have enough sons or other male relatives to retain all the potential allotments into which customary family holdings are divided, some of the land would pass out of his family’s control. Some land is also idle because it has been inherited by widows who cannot use it.

Applicants who really desire allot ments often privately approach title holders of certain estates with gifts of food or money. When legal chan nels are blocked to applicants, bribery is resorted to. The bribers are often the losers when they are fooled by titleholders who do not relinquish their land for allotments.

Tonga should reconsider its present land tenure system. Much-needed land is covered with forests under the ownership of an estate holder or other owners who do not cultivate it.

By law, every tax allotment holder is required to plant 200 coconuts on his allotment within 12 months of acquisition, and maintain it in weed free condition. However, law enforce ment is not carried out to free the land to those who can use it.

Dependence on agricultural de velopment as a solution for Tonga’s population and socio-economic pro blems is insufficient. A comprehen sive plan must be started to use other resources to provide income for Ton gans. Leadership must be empathic and benevolent, for too often Tongans feel they “would like to see the sun rise, but they should not be the ones to raise it.”