'We Let People Decide': Tongan PM 'Aisake Eke Optimistic Ahead Of November Election
Tongan Prime Minister Dr 'Aisake Valu Eke is optimistic about this year's election and says his government is focused on doing its best, leaving the rest up to the Tongan people.
Dr Eke came to power last December after his predecessor Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni resigned in the face of a no-confidence vote brought against him by the current prime minister.
Tongans will head back to the polls in November.
In wide-ranging interview with RNZ Pacific at his office in Nuku'alofa in April, Dr Eke said, "We just do our best and let the people decide."
He also confirmed that he will recontest his seat in the Tongatapu 5 constituency.
Improving public service
Dr Eke said his government has sought to improve the public service since coming into office.
"Since we started at the end of January, we introduced some strategy and measures to improve, firstly, [the] efficiency and productivity of public services," Dr Eke said.
He said this included issuing a directive for government offices to remain open during lunch hours and redirecting government which they deemed unproductive to essential sectors such as fisheries, health, and education.
On the subject of education, he said they brought back national examinations that had been shelved by previous governments and conducted a review of the school breakfast programme.
Volcanic eruption recovery
This year also marks three years since the Hunga Tona-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and the ensuing tsunami.
While the Hu'akavameiliku had started the recovery work, Dr Eke said around 20 families remain without permanent housing.
He said the government last month approved a supplementary budget of NZ$25 million for the ongoing recovery work.
"About $3 million of that is basically to go to completion of all the houses for the affected people," he said.
"We aim to complete all of them by the end of this financial year which is in June."
Although some families are still living in their original damaged homes, he said that in some cases this was a decision made by the communities themselves.
"For example, the Kanukupolu village, they wait for completion of all the houses. About 53 houses are almost completed. They want to come to move in as a group," he said.
As part of ongoing disaster preparedness and lessons learned from the volcanic eruption, the Tonga National Disaster Management Office has worked with stakeholders to develop an effective tsunami early warning system.
Dr Eke said there have been continuous tests of the system, aimed at making members of the public aware of what they need to do.
"[What] we see is people now changing because this is perhaps several instances where they have to get away from their home and trying to go to a high point," Dr Eke said.
"And I think that shows how much people learn how to prepare...how to actually conduct themselves."
Welfare of seasonal workers
On Tongan workers taking part in the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme in New Zealand and the Australian Labour Mobility Scheme, the Prime Minister said said he had some concerns.
"In fact we have heard some reports, not only from them [the workers] themselves but also some of the commentators from Australia and New Zealand," he said.
"I think we need the safety of our people there...and also at the same time we try to make our people, prepare them well."
He emphasised that better pastoral care is essential and said Tonga is formalising partnerships with church groups to deliver social and spiritual support to workers abroad.
"Our people actually they value there faith. They vary their faith...that's why I think we should address their social side, the spiritual side, also physical and also their intellectual side," Dr Eke said.
While economic benefits of the labour mobility schemes in both countries have been positive, Eke says the government has also seen some negative effects, including social impacts in the community on separated families.
Opportunities for economy
He said he wanted to grow and improve Tonga's economy through targeted investment and reform.
"Some of the policies need to be changed. We aim to make the economy viable using all the potential we have."
He said one pressing issue was a stagnant private sector.
"The private sector over the past two decades or three decades it actually stayed the same, and that's a challenge we are facing."
However, he said government has begun identifying growth sectors and working with donor agencies and governments to support them, particularly in fisheries and agriculture.
"We have done some work to improve the contribution of the fisheries sector, so we have started discussions with donors to for increasing the number of fishing vessels into the fishing industry."
He added that the government is also reactivating its national steering committee to monitor economic performance and help craft a more effective strategy in the next financial year.
Infrastructure development is another pillar of the recovery plan, which includes advancing with the previous government's plans to build a bridge across from Ma'ufanga, outside Nuku'alofa, to the eastern division of Tongatapu.
"That actually [would] ease up the pressure on congestion, and also provides an evacuation channel for people to use when there is an emergency," he said.
"And also that will help develop urban areas for economic growth."
Global shifts
As current chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Dr Eke said there has been a lot of progress made in a short space of time on the regional agenda, particularly finalising the governance framework for the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) and engaging global institutions on funding.
Eke also attended the PIF Troika Plus meeting in Fiji and the World Bank and International Monetary Fund spring meetings last month, the latter to advocate for more financial support for the region.
On rising global tensions and recent United States trade policies, Dr Eke said Tonga has been pinged with the 10 percent base tariff and is watching developments closely.
"When I look at it in terms of trade with America, in fact it is about a TOP$28 million surplus in favour of America," he said.
"America is our best friend. We have similar values but there are sometimes economic policies, even though we look at it from an economic point of view, its not a good thing. But I think common sense will prevail."
He remains hopeful and believes there will be more opportunities ahead.
He also encouraged Tongans around the world to invest in their homeland and develop local enterprises.
"I would like to say to the Tongan people there are (sic) a lot of potential here and you can make a better living.
"The motto of this country is God and Tonga is our inheritance. Working together with faith, optimism comes in, we can do a great thing."
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