Tonga's Justice Minister wants all Tongan Supreme Court judges Featured
Minister of Justice Sione Vuna Faka'otusia
25 April, 2018. Tonga's government is hoping to have an all-Tongan Supreme Court bench by 2020.
Justice Minister Vuna Fa'otusia said there were currently two New Zealanders on the bench, one of whom was the chief justice.
Because of this, interpreters were used in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals to translate Tongan into English and vice versa, Mr Fa'otusia said.
His government was pushing for Tongans to be appointed at the end of the New Zealander's terms so that those translations would no longer be needed, he said.
"Currently we do not have Supreme Court decisions or Court of Appeal decisons in Tongan and that is something I have always been insisting upon," Mr Fa'otusia said.
"We have to have decisions from the Supreme Court and Tonga's Court of Appeal in Tongan for our own people to read the decision."
The minister stressed he had no complaints about the current chief justice and the other New Zealander on the Supreme Court bench, but he said having Tongans in the positions would show faith in the capability of local people.
Supreme Court judges are currently appointed by the Judicial Appointment and Discipline Panel and the Lord Chancellor, who sit outside government.
But Mr Fa'otusia hinted that that process could be reviewed by pointing out the government funded judges' salaries, without control of their appointment.
"We are still struggling with some of the clauses in our Constitution in our endeavour to have a more democratic government and of course also with our judicary," he said.
"That is something that we still have to deal with but hopefully we will be dealing with it during the next session of parliament."
-RNZI
6 comments
-
Faka'ofo'ofa e fakakaukau ka kohono fakatu'utamaki ko e feinga koia ke mavahe 'a hono fili 'a e kau fakamaau mei he malumalu 'oe current Constitution. Tongan or non Tongan but should be outside the government. Full Stop.
Koe malohinga 'o e ki'i pule'anga ko'eni ko 'enau Justice System is base on "Public Court". Tuku atu e kakai 'oku nau launga'i ki he public ke fakamaau'i 'e he kakai pea 'oku nau toe higly experience ke manipulate e information to favour themselves. Very, very dangerous people for the environment.
Tau monu'ia 'oku 'iai 'etau Konisitutone ke ne malu'i 'a etau tui fakatemokalati. Koe mafai ki he pule fakatikitato 'oku fanau'i mai ia 'i he 'etau feinga ke satisfy 'a e public demands 'i hono ngaue 'aki 'a e Public Court..
Tukuange ki he Konisitutone ke ne fakahoko ho tau malu'i. Kuo lava atu e Komisiona Polisi, Mou tafoki atu 'ena ki he 'etau ki'i Justice System pea koe me'a tatau ai pe mou ngaue 'aki ai pe 'a e "Public Court" for your advantage.Tau tokanga na'a hanga 'e he kau tama ni 'o fakapekia 'a e Constitutional Courts ka e ngaue'aki pe 'a e Unconstitional Court pe 'oku toe 'iloa koe Public Court (honau malohi.anga).
Mou feinga ha me'a temou lava 'e sai ki he fonua he ko e sitepu hoko pe ki he "Public Court" koe "Public T" -
Ko e feinga ena 'a e tama na ke liliu ke Tonga kotoa 'uhinga kae lava 'ene fakapone mo e totongi pa'anga'i 'a e kau fakamaau lahi ke hao ai mei he mo'ua. Pau ange pe 'a e palangi 'oku taukei ange pea toe falala'anga ange 'a 'ene faitu'utu'uni. 'ikai ke tali ia 'e he palangi 'a e totongi kato 'ufi mo e pa'anga. Kou lau hifo 'a e ongoongo 'oku lolotonga mo'ua lau miliona 'a Semisi Sika ki he Potungaue Tukuhau 'a Tonga. Ngali ko ha feinga 'eni ke lava ai 'a hono tamate'i 'a e mo'ua koia?
-
MALO FAHINA MO MARK HANSON...Faka'amu noa pe 'a Minisita Lao Vuna Fa'otusia ke fotongi 'a e kau taukei papalangi 'i he Fakamaau'anga Lahi.
1) Talu mei a Siaosi Tupou I mo e 'omai 'o e kau papalangi ki he Fakamaau'anga Lahi pe te'eki ai ha palopalema 'a hono liliu-lea 'o e lao 'o Tonga.
2) Mahino mai 'a e fakahoko 'o e lao Tonga mei he ngaahi lao 'o e Kominiueli 'oku 'ikai makehe ha me'a 'i Tonga ni 'o a'u ki he "Common Law" 'a Pilitania.
3) Ko ia ko hono fakalakalaka 'o e Potungaue Lao 'o Tonga ko e 'omai ha kau tangata/fefine taukei 'i he lao 'o e Kominiueli kuo nau 'osi taukei ko e kau fakamaau 'i Tonga mo tu'a-Pule'anga. 'Oku 'ikai fe'unga 'a e fakamaau pe 'i Tonga ni.
4) Ko e malohi 'o e ongo faka-kainga (nepotism) 'i Tonga kuo tukuloa ai 'a hono 'omai 'e He 'Ene 'Afio 'a e kau fakamaau taukei mei muli...mei he ngaahi fonua Kominiueli.
5) FEHU'I: Ko e fonua tau'ataina 'a Tonga, pea na'e 'ikai faka-kolonia'i 'e Pilitania. Ko e ha 'oku 'ikai tu'u tau'ataina ai 'a Tonga mei he Kominiueli 'o e ngaahi fonua kolonia 'o Pilitania? Kuo tau kau atu ki he 'atamai ko e nofo 'i he malumalu faka-kolonia...ko e tukulolo ki he ngaahi lao 'o e Pule'anga 'Emipaea 'o Pilitania mo hono ngaahi satelaite: NZ, 'Aositelelia, Fisi, Ha'amoa, 'Afilika Tonga, Initia, etc., 'oku nau kei malumalu 'i he Pule'anga Tu'i 'o Pilitania. -
Malo Fahina pe ako 'eku tanaki atu pe eni ki ho'o ngaahi fehu'i.. Kuo 'iai nai ha ngaahi palopalema he Fakamaau Lahi pe Fakamaau Tangi (eg. fehalaaki e faka'uhinga'i 'ehe kau Fakamaau e lao; pe halaia noa'ia ha taha tonuhia etc.) tupu mei he lea faka-pilitania? Kuo launga nai ha fu'u kakai koe ta'eloto kihe lea faka-pilitania 'a e kau fakamaau? Pe koe feinga pe 'ae minisita ke fetongi e kau papalangi? 'Omai foki ha 'uhinga fakalao kae tuku a hono 'omai e ngaahi me'a faka-lautohi pule'anga. Koe me'a eni ia 'oku ui koe petty issues. Lolotonga e tokanga mai 'ae ngaahi fonua muli ke tokoni ki he langa e ngaahi maumau he saikolone kuo hu hake e fo'i tu'umaumau ia 'a e minisita ta'emaa'usia ko eni. Ka 'oku 'ikai ke 'iai ha me'a mahu'inga 'e 'aonga ki he fonua pea tuku 'oua e fai ha ala kihe ngaahi naunau 'oku ne malu'i e kakai e fonua. Tuku e hoha'a ia ki he translation he koe me'a ia 'oku hoko he ngaahi fakamaau'anga kotoa 'I mamani. Ha ta'utu mai tama 'a Justice 'Asiata, Justice 'Oni mo Justice Lila he Fakamaau'anga Tangi .......................
-
Ko 'eku fehu'i ki he Minisitaa pe kuo 'iai nai ha Tonga kuo ne ma'u 'a e taukei fe'unga kene hoko fakamaau lahi 'I he fonua he lolotonga ni???
Ko 'eku ongo'i oku hange oku nofo e Pule'anga lolotonga o lululu pe ngaahi pou tuliki o e fonua oku kei tautau ki he mafai 'o 'Ene Afio.. Oku fetakai mai e Minisita Polisi he fa'ahi koee pea nofo atu mo e motu'a Minista ko'eni mei he tafa'aki 'a e kau fakamaau lahi pea teke mai e PM mei he tuliki 'o e AG .. Ka toe e fo'i 3 ko'eni oku kei nofo kotoa pe he malumalu 'o 'Ene Afio... Ka ko'eku fie'ilo pe kuo tau mai nai ha toko3 taukei fe'unga ke nau hoko atu e ngaue a e kau fakamaau ni hotau fonua pe koe teke pe ke to'o e mafai koia o 'ene Afio ke fili e kau fakamaau..
Mou ngaue a ke fai e tokoni ki he kakai hili e Saikolone ko Gita ka e tuku a e hikihiki kau'aa he oku fk'ofa si'i kakai .. Ka ko hono fkkatoa tau tuku pe ki he kakai ke nau sio ki he ola 'o e fili ne nau fai pea moe me'a oku mahu'inga ki he Pule'anga ni pea moe kau fkfofonga ni.. -
Fo'i faka-kaukau malie ka 'oku 'iai ha taha 'i Tonga ni 'e kualifai (qualification) pea mo ma'u e taukei ngaue ki he ongo fo'i ngaue koia 'oku kei ma'u he ongo muli. Kapau 'oku ma'u pea fai leva ha ngaue kiai, pea kapau 'oku 'ikai totonu ke fai ha feinga kiai. Pea fa'u moha lao ke tuku e kole'i loli ufi moe pa'anga etc.