Teuila
Fuatai, RNZ Pacific senior journalist
As
Tonga’s 26 newly elected representatives turn to choosing a
prime minister among them, one potential candidate is
identifying economic development and raising the standard of
living as necessary priorities for the next government and
its leader.
Lord Fakafanua was re-elected as a nobles’
representative for Ha’apai in last week’s general election.
He spoke to RNZ Pacific after the results were announced and
outlined a range of areas he believed Tonga’s next prime
minister and cabinet needed to focus on.
“There are a
few low-hanging fruits available to Tonga, a few policy
decisions that we don’t have to spend taxpayers’ money on –
they can immediately show dividends and improve people’s
lives, and especially lower the cost of living,” Fakanua
said.
“In the last few weeks, we’ve experienced a
shortage of fuel, and I think a lot of people will be
looking towards how a new government will handle energy
security and [consistency of] supplies that people are
getting the services that they require from the government.
And there’s always the issue of unemployment and job
opportunities.”
Fakafanua, who has held the position
of parliament’s speaker since 2017, would not explicitly
confirm whether he wanted to be prime minister, but also
said he was not excluding himself from the
race.
Speaking to RNZ Pacific, he drew on his
experience as speaker when asked about his regional
ambitions should he become prime minister.
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“I don’t
want to pre-empt anything right now, but I just have to say
that if given the opportunity, I think it would be important
for the Pacific to stand as a unit, especially in this
polarised world.
“There are certain priorities that
the Pacific holds dear, and climate change is one of them.
And of course, that’s something that us in the Pacific hold
as an existential threat. So something like that is a
commonality that we can find working together would prove
very beneficial, not just for Tonga, but also for the
region.”
Currently, the country is under a caretaker
government as negotiations between the newly elected
representatives take place for a prime minister. Once a
prime minister is selected, they go on to pick a cabinet for
approval, and appointment by the King.
Fakafanua was
among
the nine nobles who won a seat in the election, while
caretaker prime minister Dr Aisake ‘Eke and his predecessor
Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni were among
the 17 people’s representatives elected.
Both ‘Eke
and Hu’akavameiliku, alongside Fakafanua, have been touted
as potential prime ministers for the next four-year
parliamentary term. RNZ has requested interviews with ‘Eke
and Hu’akavameiliku.
Meanwhile, another nobles’
representative – Lord Tu’ivakano – has also been flagged as
a potential candidate for prime minister. Tu’ivakano is a
former speaker and was also the first prime minister
following Tonga’s 2010 constitutional reforms.
Fellow
noble Lord Vaea told PMN he
believed a noble as prime minister would provide
stability for the government and country that had been
lacking under prime ministers who were peoples’
representatives.
“It’s time to have a noble in,” Vaea
said.
“Over the last four elections, PMs have had
great difficulties controlling, that’s why I recommend that
we go back in with the nobility.”
But not everyone is
convinced.
Teisa Pohiva, the daughter of the late
pro-democracy movement leader and prime minister ‘Akilisi
Pohiva, has warned Tongans to be wary of a potential shift
in power back to the nobility and monarchy.
“It’s as
if slowly they’re coming back for the executive powers of
the country, something that we’ve fought for so long for the
people to be given the authority to run the country, the
executive powers with due consultation with the monarchy,
with his majesty,” Pohiva said in an interview with
PMN.
She highlighted the position the Crown
Prince held in ‘Eke’s government as both minister for
foreign affairs and defence. He was appointed to ‘Eke’s
cabinet as a minister outside of parliament. Under the
constitution, the prime minister is permitted to appoint up
to four ministers in this capacity.
“Personally, I
would urge the representatives of the people, whoever’s
elected into parliament, to stand together, try and put the
differences aside and stand together and keep the prime
minister position within the people,” Pohiva
said.
“There’s nothing more important for us but
performance and accountability to the people of
Tonga.”
Under the current system, only nobles vote
towards their nine representatives to parliament, while the
general public have a separate election process that results
in the 17 peoples’ representatives.
Both voting
processes take place on the same day and make up the general
election.
The setup was implemented through the 2010
constitutional reforms which increased the number of
people’s representatives in the legislative assembly from
nine to 17.
Prior to that, the balance of power in the
executive branch sat with the nobles, the King and his Privy
Council, with the number of people’s representatives set at
just nine.
For now, Tonga’s newly elected 26
representatives will be discussing who they believe would be
best to lead. They will vote for the position by secret
ballot, which must be won by a majority.
Under the
constitution, the vote will be repeated if no one gains a
majority, with the candidate who wins the least number of
votes eliminated from the next
round.
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