Latest news with #TupouVI
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tongans divided over bill granting monarch control of key ministries
King Tupou VI inspects the guard of honour during his official state visit to Fiji in July 2025. Photo: Facebook / Fiji Government The recent move by Tonga's Legislative Assembly to introduce and pass a bill that transfers oversight of two key ministries from democratic control to the King has divided opinion among Tongans. The Tongan parliament passed the His Majesty's Diplomatic Service Bill 2025 on 5 August, during the final week of the parliamentary session before MPs start campaigning for the elections later this year. The bill, tabled by the Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala, who was appointed Foreign Affairs Minister earlier this year, replaces Tonga's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a new entity called His Majesty's Diplomatic Service. The new entity will be responsible for the "implementation of diplomatic and consular services" as well as having "oversight of immigration in alignment of national interests". The move has upset pro-democracy advocates in the country, who have called it "backwards" . They have presented a petition to King Tupou VI to reconsider giving his royal assent to the bill. However, not everyone is against the move to transfer control of the Foreign Affairs and Defence to the King, with hundreds of Tongans - both living on the island and in the diaspora - taking to social media to express their support. "It is his birthright to govern all foreign affairs and defence for his people," wrote Temaleti Uluave in response to an RNZ Pacific story on the issue, posted on Facebook. "We, the people of Tonga trust him most to take care of us," she said. According to her Facebook profile, she lives in Hawaii. Another user, Feletiliki Lavulavu, whose Facebook profile says he lives in Auckland and is from Leimatu, Vava'u, wrote: "The King Rules like a God! We are lucky to be free. He is the Ruler and the Unification of Tonga! The Heart and Mind of our People! Above all! We are subjects of his majesty the King! Long Live King George Tupou VI! Through your dynasty Tongan has enjoy free speech and democracy! (sic) " A third user Fehi Hafu, said she was "grateful that we have never been under any foreign country's control". "Apart from the Constitution it is make sense to leave it for the King's Authority and his bloodline because of the National Security. In our own household it is the father's role to protect our family and also watch for any outside enermy likewise the King's role in our Nation (sic) ," wrote Hafu, who lives in Sydney according to her profile. Dozoens of commenters to the RNZ Pacific story wrote that it was the King's birthright to govern foreign affairs and defence. "Long live the King," they wrote. According to the Tongan Consitution , Clause 40, which outlines the King's powers, states: "The King is the Sovereign of all the Chiefs and all the people. The person of the King is sacred. He reigns the country but ministers are responsible. All Acts that have passed the Legislative Assembly must bear the King's signature before they become law."
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Why is the King of Tonga taking control of foreign affairs and defence?
King Tupou VI Photo: 2019 Mark Tantrum The King of Tonga, Tupou VI, is being asked not to sign legislation that would end parliamentary control of two key ministries. Last week, under an urgent vote, the Tonga Legislature voted for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be remade as His Majesty's Diplomatic Services, and to be run outside of parliament, under the auspices of Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala. The Tongan parliament staes that the purpose of the Bill is "to modernise and strengthen the framework for the conduct and implementation of diplomatic and consular relations, while also enhancing oversight of immigration in alignment with national interests". It includes the establishment of His Majesty's Diplomatic Services, creation of the Diplomatic Services Board, administrative provisions, appointment of overseas representatives, regulatory powers and transitional matters To some in country, this is a reversal of the more democratic reforms introduced in 2010. RNZ Pacific spoke with its Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala about the motivation for the change. (This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) Kalafi Moala: Basically, it's still a Ministry of Foreign Affairs being moved from government service under the Cabinet to become a service under the King, directly under the King and his Privy Council. That's the major change that has taken place. In other words, all diplomatic services, all the foreign type of ministries, including immigration, issuance of passports, all of that have moved from the Cabinet or the Prime Minister's Office to become a part of the King's responsibility in the palace. And it's a huge one. Don Wiseman: And why? We don't know do we? KM: Well, from the previous government, there was pressure from the King expressing dissatisfaction on the Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs, which is why then Prime Minister Sovaleni, resigned from holding those portfolios. There was an expression from the King of dissatisfaction. Now with this government, what they have done is passed law in parliament that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence will move over under the King's jurisdiction. DW: And they did that right at the end of the parliamentary term, didn't they? Was there any opposition within parliament? KM: Well, that was the thing that surprised the public, because the law was brought in as an emergency law, or urgent and it was passed without debate and no opposition. It was just passed. And then a press release came out to the public that here is a law, and those of us outside parliament were just absolutely surprised because what it looked like is just a beginning of a reverse of the reform that took place in 2010. In other words, that the parliament would choose the prime minister, and the prime minister elects his ministers and all the government services. But here we've got one of those services being handed back to the King, and who can tell what other services will in future be handed back to the King? It's a kind of a reverse of what happened with the reform of 2010. DW: In terms of the Ministry of Defence. What's happening? KM: The Ministry of Defence, of course, have always been under the King's jurisdiction, and we do have a constitutional clause that says the King can't declare war without parliament's consent. The King had always had a say with the Ministry of Defence, but the Minister was an appointment of Cabinet. In this case, it would be direct appointment of the King as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. DW: In terms of what's happened in Foreign Affairs, could the general public expect any difference in the nature of the services, provided? KM: The services can remain the same, there are some people that are saying that this is probably the Palace Office's response to a lot of accusations about the misuse of funds. Much of that funding comes from overseas in terms of foreign aid, and now with the Foreign Affairs and Defence moving to the Palace Office, that means that they will be managing all of the diplomatic relations and aid or any assistance that come from overseas. It will be directly under the King's supervision. DW: What about funding? Where is that going to come from? Presumably, Parliament's not going to be voting for a budget for the Diplomatic Service. KM: Definitely, one of the complaints is that it will be coming as part of the Budget. There is, of course, the Royal budget, which comes from the Budget, the King's wages and all that. But this, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it will come in from the from the Budget, the national Budget is part of our services and it will be supervised by the King instead of the Prime Minister. DW: It's a remarkable situation, isn't it? There's not going to be a peaceful coexistence. Is there? KM: Definitely not. Because as we speak today, a public petition is being handed over to the Palace Office in opposition of this move. The petition calls for the King to please not sign into law the legislation that will come out of parliament. But what a lot of people are afraid of is it seems to be a regression, or a reverse, of what happened in the pathway to democracy that happened in 2010 and even though we've had some struggles with that, but this seems to be a direct act of reversing that. DW: Who's behind the petition? KM: The petition is really brought in by the Democrats, actually the followers of Akalisi Pohiva from the Ke'lea. But it's gathering a bit of support from the public. The interesting thing is, some of those in parliament were strong supporters of the 2010 reform, but when this law legislation came in, they all voted for it. So there's a lot of very strange things happening in this country now.
ABC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Tonga's King calls for political reform
King Tupou the VI has called for improvements to the country's democratic system. His call comes 15 years after democratic reforms were introduced . The reforms introduced by former King George V, removed the Monarchy's executive control of government and increased the number of MPs elected by the people. However, the Monarchy would retain control of certain portfolios such as Foreign Minister. "We have now come through the conduct of the Parliamentary Elections in a peaceful manner," said King Tupou VI. "However, the challenge of democratic transition still requires improvement, as it is merely based on a developing economic situation."
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- Telegraph
The island of stone megaliths and fishing pigs that's escaped colonisation for 3,000 years
History has seen the rise and fall of numerous empires that drew into their governance many far-flung lands and, over the years, few countries have escaped colonisation. Indeed, by some measures, there is just one – Japan. Other historians stretch the definition with a resulting list of some 13 that might have been occupied – such as Afghanistan – but were never under foreign governance. And then there are a few countries that became not colonies but Protectorates, self-governing but with trade and foreign policy agreements. One such was Tonga, the only kingdom in the vast ocean of the South Pacific and a Protectorate of Britain between 1900-1970 under a mutually beneficial 'Treaty of Friendship' designed to discourage further German expansionism after they had taken over parts of neighbouring Samoa. Friendship is a word that crops up regularly here. It was Captain Cook who first dubbed Tonga 'The Friendly Islands' and they live up to that reputation to this day. It wasn't always so. It may be hard to believe now, but in the 12 th century, the laid-back Tongans were considered the Vikings of the Pacific – with their own maritime empire that extended across the ocean from Niue to Samoa to the Solomon Islands. Never invaded or taken over, perhaps it's no surprise that Tongan culture is as authentically Polynesian as you will find anywhere in the Pacific. It is a culture that is centred around the family and the monarchy. The latter is as strong as ever and the current king, Tupou VI, traces his line back six generations to King George (Siaosi in Tongan) Tupou I who converted to Christianity, united Tonga into a kingdom, abolished serfdom and enshrined in the constitution that land could only be owned by Tongans and never sold to outsiders. It is still the case today, and Tonga remains firmly Tongan. The 1867 royal palace sits on the waterfront of the main island of Tongatapu (literally, 'Sacred South'), a red-roofed, white-painted wooden colonial house on the grandest imaginable scale. The capital Nuku'alofa (it means 'Safe Haven of Love') extends behind the palace with more colonial-style government offices, one of the best markets in the Pacific and great places to eat. At The Top, the owner sits down with you for a chat. At Billfish, hearing the word 'taxi', the resident DJ told me it was no problem, he'd take us back to the hotel. See? Friendly. Food is, incidentally, a very important part of Tongan culture and portions are, to say the least, impressive (as the locals are happy to point out, there's nothing small in Tonga). Specialities include Ota Ika (tuna marinated in lime and coconut cream), Lu Sidi (taro leaves cooked in coconut cream), drinking coconuts and some rather unusual pork (also cooked in coconut cream) – you will have spotted something of a theme here. Every meal, including breakfast, starts with a prayer. If you're around on a Sunday, everything is shut except the churches and these deserve a visit if it's only for the singing. A traditional feast always follows, cooked in an umu – or underground oven – and everyone is dressed in their Sunday best. Men wear a wrap skirt, often with a shirt, tie and jacket. Everyone wears a soft mat and belt made from the leaves of the pandanus plant or coconut palm. Tongans love to share and, if you're in church, you're likely to be invited to the feast. There's even the possibility of joining a kava ceremony (say yes, it's a great honour). Made from a pepper plant pounded to a powder, kava is served in a communal wooden bowl (the effect is to numb the mouth and tongue and make you relaxed and, ultimately, sleepy). Beyond town, there are ancient stone monuments – a megalith that, like Stonehenge, predicts astronomical events; and numerous low stone pyramids built as royal burial grounds. There are blowholes spurting surf 30 metres into the air; rainforest walks; mysterious caves with stalactites, stalagmites and a deep, cold freshwater pool for swimming. Given the year-round hot climate, this is a delight for Tongans who do, in any case, have an unusual relationship with water. After school, the children line up on the quayside to fling themselves into the harbour. Swimwear is optional – most people just walk into the water fully dressed to cool off, knowing they'll be dry pretty soon in the sun. And there is a lot of water here to enjoy – the kingdom is scattered over 700,000 square miles of ocean. Tonga is not, in fact, an island – it's 176 islands, only 40 of them inhabited. From Nuku'alofa you can spend a day on everyone's image of a perfect desert island. I went with Tahi Tonga's Captain Tom to Tau ( for a picnic, swimming, snorkelling and idly hanging out. The calm, turquoise waters around the Ha-apai islands are perfect for diving, kayaking and paddle boarding. Tonga's northern group of islands, Vava'u, are famous for their whales. They arrive in June to calve and stay for around six months and, from June to October, you can swim with the humpbacks or take a small boat tour to visit them. Island hopping in Tonga's beautiful waters is almost mandatory – you'll find reefs teeming with marine life, coral atolls, volcanic islands. And it's not just people who get into the water here: Tonga's small black 'fishing pigs' go swimming in the sea too, catching fish for their dinner (apparently, this makes for particularly tasty pork). Like all Polynesians, Tongans love singing and dancing. This is evidenced both in the full-throated church choirs on Sunday mornings and in traditional culture shows – accompanied, of course, by a feast – that you'll find around the islands on Wednesdays and Fridays. While the girls here are more modest than elsewhere in the Pacific – less hip shaking, more graceful hand movements – the boys are spectacularly athletic and perform a fearsome fire dance. It all goes to reinforce the anga fakatonga, or Tongan way of life, based on core values such as respect, family unity and sharing – ancient traditions that haven't been watered down by too much outside contact. Peaceful, with little crime and plenty of natural beauty, it's enough to give monoculture a good name. Of course, nowhere is perfect – and there is a dark side to Tonga. On the morning I left the island I watched from my window at the Tanoa Dateline Hotel (it was just the Dateline when I first visited 25 years ago – things don't change fast here) as the municipal gardeners climbed the palm trees, clearing the coconuts. If one falls as you pass by, you would certainly know about it. Dangerous place, Paradise. Essentials
