Tonga’s ‘transparency’ prime minister violates media freedom over questions Featured
Tonga's suspended state broadcasting news head Viola Ulakai ... too questioning.
Tonga’s ‘transparency’ prime minister violates media freedom over questions
By Kalafi Moala in Nuku’alofa
22 April, 2016. The man who was once jailed for his stand for press freedom in the kingdom of Tonga has now breached the same freedom by ordering a government journalist to be suspended “for asking hard questions”.
Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva was a member of Parliament who leaked information to the media in 1996 resulting in a contempt of Parliament case, in which he was jailed together with the two journalists who published the information.
But as Tonga’s Prime Minister 20 years later, elected on a platform of democratic “transparency”, Pohiva issued an order on Wednesday to his Minister of Public Enterprises, Poasi Tei, to suspend veteran journalist Viola Ulakai “until further investigation”.
Minister Tei is responsible for the Tonga Broadcasting Commission through a selected board of directors,
The Prime Minister has accused Ulakai of being too insistent with her questions, particularly with issues regarding reform that he as Minister of Education is bringing about in the Ministry of Education.
The fallout and a mess in the Ministry after the 2015 exam results has been a confusing issue at the centre of much public discussion.
Ulakai has been a journalist with the Government Broadcasting for 26 years. She is now the head of news at Tonga’s largest news organisation.
Press conference
In the past few weeks, Ulakai has been trying unsuccessfully to set up a press conference between the media and the Prime Minister to answer questions regarding education.
Meanwhile, a press release was issued last week by the Prime Minister’s Office accusing Ulakai of trying to set up the press conference as something endorsed by the Tonga Media Council, while it was allegedly only a personal arrangement of her own.
The Tonga Media Council chair, Lady Luseane Luani, responded in support of the Prime Minister’s Office, saying Ulakai was “not doing it for the Media Council”, a statement that has been widely regarded by other journalists as a betrayal of Ulakai.
Ulakai is on the board of directors of the Tonga Media Council, and she herself has been the one that set up previous press conferences on behalf of the council.
Other directors of the Media Council, like Filo ‘Akau’ola, owner of the Talaki newspaper, has come out in support of Ulakai, stating that there was an understanding Ulakai would organise the press conferences.
Pohiva, since the beginning of his administration in January of 2015, has consistently been aloof and selective over the media he would talk to, and who would interview him.
Because Ulakai was the head of news at the Government Radio and Television, she usually did the interviews with the leaders of government. But the Prime Minister took exception to her hard questioning.
Another angle
He claimed that Ulakai usually takes another angle to ask the same question when he had already provided the answer.
The Prime Minister’s Office offered the notion that Ulakai was opposed to the Prime Minister, and that she was backed by opponents to his reform programme at the Ministry of Education.
Ulakai shared publicly her frustration at not being given the opportunity to ask questions that have not been answered or even spun to support a perspective in question.
“I am only trying to do my job,” she told reporters in Nuku’alofa.
Ulakai did not break any laws, neither did she breach any work ethics in accordance with her contract at the Tonga Broadcasting Commission.
She is being persecuted for doing her job. And a man who promised press freedom to Tongans is driving that persecution.
As this report goes out, Viola Ulakai has been officially suspended from the Tonga Broadcasting Commission, from yesterday, on order from the Prime Minister.
Tonga is due to commemorate World Media Freedom Day on May 3. In the 2016 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index released this week, Tonga had improved its global ranking seven places to 37th out of 180 countries surveyed.
The author, Kalafi Moala, is publisher and editor of the Taimi ‘o Tonga, Tonga’s first independent newspaper. He and his then deputy editor were jailed for contempt of Parliament along with ‘Akilisi Pohiva in 1996.
Pacific Media Watch
11 comments
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Oku ou kole atu au kihe Minisita Moui Saia Piukala alu o fai ho fatongia o puke mai a Akilisi o sivi he oku fuu lahi ene faituutuu ni faikehe mahino leva kuo ikai kei malava ehe sino e fatongia. Oku tangi e tokolahi he fonua ni he ngaahi mea oku hoko pea oku tonu ke eke tangi ia koiaa kia koe. Ko ho fatongia ia koe Minisita Moui keke tokoni kihe Palemia kapau oku ke ofa fonua he koena e osi e kakai heene tulinoaia mole moe paaga e fonua heene u faituutuuni hala.
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Malo Misi ho'o fakamahino mai 'a e fakaveve 'a e Palemia pea koe fakamo'oni lele ia mo mo'oni pea mahino.
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Koe ngaahi tohi kuo tuku mai 'i he social media fekau'aki moe me'a ni:
1. Tohi mei he PM ki he Minisita Public Enterprises Poasi Tei - 'o fakahaa 'ene mamahi fekau'aki mo Viola, fakataha mo 'ene fokotu'u atu ke fakamalolo'i 'a Viola mei he ngaue;
2. Tohi mei a Minista Poasi Tei kia Tapu Panuve (moe kau talekita Poate ICT) fekau'aki moe tohi 'ae PM ('i olunga), 'o fekau ke fai ha ngaue 'ae Poate ICT ki he 'uuni me'a 'oku tokanga kiai e PM, pea lipooti ange kiai;
3. Tohi mei he sekelitali e Poate ICT (Ane Mailangi) ki he Pule of Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC), Nanise Fifita 'o fakaha ange e tu'utu'uni e Poate ICT ke fakamalolo'i 'a Viola.
Mei he tohi 1 ki he tohi 3, 'oku matamata 'oku 'ikai fakatokanga'i 'e Minista Tei pea mo Tapu Panuve mo Poate ICT ko 'enau tu'utu'uni 'oku makatu'unga he TOHI KOLE 'a Viola ke fai ha fakataha moe kau faiongoongo. Ne te'eki fai ha fakataha ke 'eke ai 'e Viola e 'uuni me'a 'oku tupu ai e mamahi e PM.
'Aia kuo fai pe e tu'utu'uni tautea TE'EKI fai ha fakataha ke ma'u ai ha faingamalie 'o VIola ke fai ai ha hia. Koe me'a 'e 2 ke fai kiai e sio:
'Uluaki, koe mamahi 'ae PM ne fakatefito he tohi kole 'a Viola ki ha faingamalie ke fai ha fakataha (press conference) moe kau faiongoongo. (Ka 'oku te'eki ai fai e fakataha ne kole 'e Viola);
Ko hono ua, koe ongo tu'utu'uni 'a Minisita Poasi Tei moe Poate ICT ke faka-maloolo'i 'a Viola ne fakatefito ia he mamahi 'ae PM he TOHI KOLE fakataha 'a Viola. (Fakatokanga'i 'oku te'eki ai pe fai ha fakataha).
Koe fakama'opo'opo leva 'eni: Koe tautea ko 'eni 'o Viola ne makatu'unga ia he ngaahi tukuaki'i te'eki fakamo'oni'i fe'unga, kae tefito pe he faka'uhinga 'ae PM tokotaha pe 'ae ngaahi me'a ne tu'unga ai e kole fakataha 'a Viola. Tautea te'eki fai ha hia. Ka fa'a fehu'i ha taha kia te kita. 'oku 'ikai 'uhinga ia 'oku taaufehi'a ai kia kita.
Kapau ne fai ha fakataha moe kau faiongoongo, koe faingamalie ia ne mei lava ke fai ai e felingiaki 'uhinga mo hono fakanonga e ngaahi hu'uhu'u moe fie'ilo.
Me'apango lahi ia e tu'unga 'oku a'u kiai he taimi ni. -
Koe sitaila ai pe ena 'a 'Akilisi, ko 'ene fai ha fo'i pango pea saiti ki he faka'aki 'o tukuaki'i ha taha kehe. Ka 'oku poto ange foki a Poasi Tei ia he kakaa, 'ave kotoa pe 'e Poasi ia ki he poate moe fo'i tohi 'a 'Akilisi, ke mahino pe ki he poate mo Tonga ni kotoa koe tu'utu'uni 'a 'Akilisi; malu'i pe 'e Poasi ia 'a Poasi !! na'e 'amanaki mahalo a 'Akilisi ia 'e malu'i ia 'e Poasi e .... ki'i hala 'ene fika pea ko ena kuo heke 'o tukuaki'i a Poasi .... koe "recommend" pe tokua ... hange fa fai mai ki ha kau vale. Koe "recommend" moe tu'utu'uni 'oku na tamai taha fa'ee taha. 'Oua toe fai atu ia ki he Fonu moe Moa e.
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Malie atikolo ia kalafi ka koe toe pe keke 'omai ha fo'i poe kene puke koe na'a lava keke tu'u ma'u ai. PM violates media freedom over questions? Ko hai e mitia kuo tu'utu'uni e PM ke 'oua toe pulusi mo tukuatu 'i Tonga?Hala ke iai ha mitia ia e fkpopula'i i Tonga he oku nau kei tau'ataina kotoa pe 'o a'u kia Kalafi. Kapau koe 'uhinga kia Viola, ta 'oku hala ia he 'oku 'ikai ko ha mitia e pesona ko Viola, koe 'uhi oku kehe pe media mei he Journalist. Hoko pe 'ulu'i tohi ki he taha na'a ne fa'u 'o tu'u fehipakaki mai pe.
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si'i fk'ofa pe si'i Violas. 'Ikai toe ha veve noa'ia 'ae palemia he'ene tufi mai 'o tukumai he ongoongo 'a e letio. 'Ikai ha fehalaaki ia hono tuku koe ki tu'a tonu pasika pe ia. 'Ikai keke 'ilo 'e koe 'a e me'a keke fai kake nofo pe koe hono fksiosio e palemia. Kai hake ena. 'Osi pe toe 'asi hake moe veesi folofola. 'Oua e ngaue hala'aki e folofola ki ho'omou fiema'u fktaautaha.
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Mooni a Oua e Fiu he ko Akilisi ena kuo hipa hake o tala nae ikai kene order ke suspend a Viola naane recommend ke consider ha ha ha ... e poto pe a Poasi Tei，kuo fuu fakavalevale hoo talangofua au Poasi Tei ikai feunga ia mo ho lakanga he lotu. Ku ke fakatonuhia'i e tuutuuni hala kamata pe meia Etu Lavu kihe ongo Fa'e ko Eseta mo Tuna koeni hau eni kia Viola. Ai pea ke ongoi maniniia hoo tuutuunii e finematua nae ikai ke iai haanau fehalaaki. Hange koe lau TEMOU ILO PE HE OKU TAKAI E SALIOTE OE TAIMI.
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Io, koe u'uu pe Bee ko hono Hoka?
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Faka'ofo'ofa tama e fo'i ta 'o Viola.
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Viola
Koe 'ahi'ahi kotoa pe oku tau fou ai oku iai ae monu oku toi mei mui. Oku ou oatu a Isaia 41:10-13. Oua e manavahe，he oku ou iate koe e au；oua e kilokilo holo，he ko ho Otua au：teu poupou koe e au；io，te u pukepuke koe aki a e toomatau o eku faitotonu. 11. Vakai ko kinautolu kotoa oku lili kiate koe te nau ma mo puputuu：tenau hoko koe koto ikai；io，tenau auha- a ho kau veipa vaivai na. 12. Te ke kumi kinautolu，o ikai ilo- ho kau fili vaivai na：te nau hoko koe koto ikai mo ha koto mole a e kau vaivai na oku fai tau kiate koe. 13. He ko au Sihova ko ho Otua，teu puke ho to'omata'u，a au oku ou pehe atu，Oua e manavahe；ko au oku ou tokonii koe. Oku mau ofa atu moe hufia.