Inexperience has been a key characteristic in Tongan Government Featured
Massey University's Professor Malakai Koloamatangi
28 November, 2015. A political scientist and Pasifika Director at Massey University says the Tongan government's inexperience has been a key characteristic, a year after elections there.
The 2014 election result brought a government into power headed by long time pro-democracy campaigner 'Akilisi Pohiva, making him the first commoner to be elected to the position.
However the first phase of the government's term has been beset with controversies over women's rights conventions, the education sector, legal challenges and financial difficulties.
Malakai Koloamatangi says the government has also shown a lack of engagement with the people over its first few months which needs to be re-established.
Dr Koloamatangi says the apparent inexperience in government has not helped.
"A lack of inefficiency, like the budget around a clear development programme for example for the economy. The routine government matters are not being organised properly or even promoted by the government. I think the inexperience shows throughout its function."
RNZI
3 comments
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kole fakamolemole atu kakai Tonga. Mou manatu'i ne teeki taki 'a Akilisi ia ha potungaue 'e taha 'a e Pule'anga pe ha toe potungaue he fonua ni tukukehe 'a e kau temo ne nau tutu 'a Nuku'alofa. Ko 'ene tu'unga ako 'oku fakangatangata pe pea ne teeki ke pule ia ha 'apiako kolisi - mahalo ko e ako pule'anga iiki pe. ko hono maholiga ko e fakaanga pe - mo e lea ta'eufi 'o tui kiai 'a e kakai. Ko e 'ilo fakapule - ko e faka'ofa mo'oni - he has no idea about leadership, and his supporters are no difference. either pea tau 'amanaki pe ki ha ola he 'ikai sai. Ko e fakamamahi taha, he kuo ne ma'u 'eia 'a e 'atamai si'i kakai fakapo'uli 'o e fonua, ko e 'uhi ne totu'a 'enau 'amanaki ka pule 'a 'Aki pea 'oku nau kei tui pe kinautolu ki ai. Te tau toki sai pe kapau 'e si'i malolo 'a 'Aki mei he palemia ka ko e pango 'oku tui 'e Mateni mo e kau tama 'oku nau uakai ki he mafai mo fie Palemia 'oku nau kamata fuhu'i 'a e 'ea ki he Temo h kuo mei malolo 'a 'Aki 'a e teunga tatau, pea te tau keu hoko atu 'a e to ki he faingata'a ka hoko atu 'a e taki 'e he fa'ahinga kakai ko 'eni.
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'Oku fai 'a e ako mei he anga ho'o mo vakai. 'Oku mahino 'a e ofi mai ange 'a Mokofisi ki he tefito 'o e Palopalema pe ko hono fakalea 'e taha 'oku 'i Tonga ni 'a Mokofisi ia 'o siotonu.
Na'e 'iai foki e comment 'a Koloamatangi he Pule'anga kuo'osi 'o pehee ko e Temokalati 'a Tonga ni 'oku 'ikai ke kakato pe ko e half democracy koe'uhi ko e 'ikai fili 'e he kakai 'a e kau Nopele. Talu mei ai mo e pikitai 'a e PM mo hono kau poupou he fo'i fakakaukau koia. 'Oku 'i ai e ngaahi feitu'u ia 'oku ngaue'i 'e he inexperience leaders 'o lelei pe ia, ka he'ikai lava ia he Pule'anga koeni he koena ne 'osi me'a 'aki 'e he PM he'ena faka'eke'eke mo Kalafi, 'oku faingata'a'ia he'ene Kapineti ko e taumu'a 'o e oomai kenau ngaue'i e loto 'o e kakai he 'oku 'i ai 'a e finangalo 'o e 'Otua. Ka kuo oomai ia mo 'enau takitaha me'a. Ka na'e tonu kene fakakau 'o pehee, "kae nofo atu ia mo 'ene fatunga me'a?
Kaikehe koeha ha fa'ahinga fakakaukau pe mo ha fa'ahinga lea te tau 'oange ma'ae Pule'anga ni, ka ko 'enau misiona ke fakatonutonu 'a e ngauehala 'a e ngaahi Pule'anga kimu'a. Kuo nau 'alu hake leva 'o fai fakamaau ka e tuku a Sihova. Ka e hange ko e lau kohai leva tene fakamaau'i kinautolu ia? -
INEXPERIENCE OVER CORRUPTION? With all due respects Dr Koloamatangi, your assessment of a corrupted infested Executive Branch of the Government of Tonga seems like guess work in your part rather than "scientific political" analyses.
With all the weekly scandals this government has wasted away the country's scarce resources on, you could not separate innocent lack of experience from lawlessness. Led by a 28-year career politician (first-elected commoner) as Prime Minister who argued in Parliament recently to "put the law aside so Cabinet can implement their plans," is hardly a sign of inexperience to me. Nepotism is an unknown vocabulary to him, and usurping the king's authority by signing the CEDAW Treaty, deliberately breaking the Sabbath Law, and misuse of power and corruption at the highest level of government was "forgiven" by an unanimous vote in Parliament. Is this the "democracy" they brought to Tonga or was it meant to be totalitarianism?
This is a bunch of lawless and sick-minded commoners filled with greed and thirst for power to devour the country's tiny wealth by enriching their clans and friends. But your "scientific" radar calls it inexperience? Your data analyses seem to conveniently ignore these immoral acts against the general good of society thus overlooking the short empirical history of such a corrupted term in office.
Your liberal political leaning seems to have compromised your scientific duty to collect and analyze data without bias. I dare call you a "Pōhiva Sympathiser" rather than a political scientist. Corruption is dishonesty, and gross abuse of power, and let's call it for what it is.