Tonga's Prime Minister denies Radio New Zealand’s accusation of insincerity and hypocrisy ^Featured

Radio New Zealand’s accusations were made in an article published on its website on 22 August entitled “Tonga’s PM accused of insincerity at Pacific Forum” under Kalafi Moala’s byline.

The Hon Prime Minister said, “This was my first visit to Tuvalu. Prior to the visit I had heard the Tuvaluan Prime Minister, Hon Enele Sopoaga, tell me on numerous occasions, about the devastating impact that the climate change crisis was having on his country and people.

I really did not believe that the impact of climate change on Tuvalu was any different from its impact on Tonga because I have also witnessed in Tonga how climate change and rising sea levels had eroded the coastline of many of our islands.

What I did not appreciate until I got to Tuvalu was how tiny and lowlying the Tuvaluan atolls were and how thin the layer of topsoil is and therefore the visual image of the devastation blows you away.

But I was also moved by the resolve of the Tuvaluan people, especially the youth, who are determined to fight climate change and as their slogan goes, ‘Save Tuvalu, Save the World!’ It broke my heart. And the tears I cried were sincere.”

The Hon Prime Minister also said his expression of sympathy for the people of West Papua’s human rights was genuine and was not hypocritical.

He said, “The indigenous people of West Papua are Pacific Islanders. They are our brothers and sisters. We have witnessed in recent years how their human rights have been repeatedly violated. Representatives of the West Papua people have asked the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders for our help.

The Civil Society Organisations of the Pacific and the Pacific Conference of Churches have urged the Pacific Leaders to support the people of West Papua. I think it is the right thing to do, and that is why I spoke strongly in favour of the people of West Papua.

In fact the Pacific Islands Forum was set up at the first place because the colonial leaders in the South Pacific Commission refused to discuss the human rights of the colonized people of the Pacific Islands and that is why the founders of the Forum set up their own organization to support the rights of the people of the Pacific islands and the Forum had stood up in support of the rights of the Kanaks in New Caledonia and the people of Timor Leste.”

The Prime Minister was however very critical of Radio New Zealand’s standard of journalism in relation to the article.

He said, “Most of the people that Kalafi Moala quoted in his article are biased against me and the government I lead.

For example, Eliesa Fifita, has been an unsuccessful candidate in the parliamentary elections in my electoral constituency in at least the last three elections and his newspaper ‘Tonga Ma’a Tonga’ is financed by people who have constantly petitioned His Majesty to dismiss me from office.”

He continued, “The New Zealand based “Kakalu” newspaper which Kalafi Moala also quoted has never published a single favourable story about me or the government that I lead ever since it started publishing in 2015.

Of course that is their constitutional freedom to publish as they see fit. But I think Kalafi should have added some backgrounder on the people and newspapers he quoted as they are not published in the English language and they are politically opposed to everything I stand for”.

The Prime Minister went on to say, “Having said that, I must acknowledge that Kalafi also quoted Ilex Tora, editor of the ‘Nuku’alofa Times’ the bilingual on-line newspaper who was more impartial in his assessment!”

Hon Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva also acknowledged that there have been major delays in the construction of homes and schools that were totally destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Gita in February 2018.

He said, “The money for the construction of schools and homes that were totally destroyed actually come from multi lateral funding agencies and each of those agencies have very strict guidelines for disbursement and rigorous procurement procedures with which we must comply.

There is no way we can bypass those stringent and time-consuming regulations and procedures.

I am as frustrated as the home-owners and owners of the schools are in the delays in construction. All I can do is plead for their patience!”