make MPs pay

Writ seeks to make MPs pay

When King Tauja’ahau Tupou IV closed the Tongan Parliament early last month, he ended one of the most memor able legislative sittings in Ton ga’s history.

Among the highlights, a con troversial five per cent sales tax was imposed along with a flat 10 per cent income tax for all people with incomes above A 52,000.

After the passage of the legislation, parliamentarians conducted fonos, or public meetings in villages throughout the kingdom to explain the new law.

It was the second time in 123 years of parliament that such a series of meetings had been held.

And hard on the heels of the meetings came a monthly newspaper called Kelea (conch shell) published for the purpose of explaining the law. Since its first issue, the paper has be come a sensation.

People queue outside the Friendly Islands Bookstore in Nuku’alofa for the mimeog raphed sheet which has trum peted alarming allegations of mis-spending by high govern ment officials.

Meanwhile, some weeks pre viously a writ had been issued against 25 of the 28 members

of the legislative assembly by ’lpefi Siale of Ta’anea, Vava’u.

He seeks judgedment against the speaker of the house Kala nivalu Fotofili and finance minister James Cecil Conker, for authorising allegedly exces sive entitlements for legislators taking part in the fonos.

He calls for judgement against the other 23 alleging they knowingly accepted exces sive payments.

Siale claims in the writ that the named parliamentarians re ceived overpayments totalling

over $176,000. He calls for the MPs to refund the money and the cost of any future court proceedings.

The MPs had 28 days to respond to the allegations.

While the Kelea has served as a government watchdog, the Tonga Chronicle, the govern ment’s newspaper, had its coverage censored.

The report of the writ being filed ran on the front page of the Tongan language edition of October 31. However, the Eng lish edition was held for nearly a week at the printer. Eventually the edition went to press with no mention of the existence of the writ.

In a later issue the Chroni cle’s editor reprinted a 1969 interview with the king about the role of the press. In it, the king said the free press was needed and that leaders should learn to live with criticism.

Willy Fukofuka, editor of Kelea said he was pleased to see the reprint of the king’s comments on the role of the press because it reflected the views aired in the third issue of his paper.

The only MPs not named in the writ were Crown Prince Tupouto’a, prime minister Prince Fatafehi Tui’pelehake and deputy prime minister, Baron Tuita.

The king of Tonga.