Excerpt from the ABC News website:

“I’ve always wanted to do this for the country,” the Tongan monarch said.

King Tupou says Tonga’s new political landscape will be slightly different to the majority of constitutional monarchies.

“Officially the sovereign’s powers [will] remain unchanged,” he said.

“The difference in future is that I shall not be able to exercise any of my powers at will, and that all the sovereign’s powers must be exercised solely on the advice of the prime minister, in most things, and in judicial matters the law lords will advise on the exercise of power.”

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Following what are known as the 16/11 riots, it may appear the King is forced to accept democracy to prevent similar events. Perhaps the King is saving face by supporting an inevitable push for a democratic system.

Recent coverage within our mainstream media, of course, normalise the concept of democracy without question; surely if the people have less power the monarchical system cannot be good? Growing up within a democratic paradigm obsessed with the majority, I too naturally lean towards a democratic viewpoint. However, I do not wish, nor have the time to dive into the depths of this subject right now.

Where am I going with this? Well, I watched recent Tagata Pasifika coverage of the Tongan elections and was surprised to hear how some Tongan people felt the monarchy was a part of their identity as Tongans. I cannot remember his name, but I remember a pannelist on a Tongan election debate saying he welcomed a change, but did not want what he identified with as a Tongan to be taken away.

Fair. Although I cannot sympathise, I can empathise with holding onto the traditional cues of cultural identification…

Back to the King.

Quite frankly is he being forced to support a change that will diminish his official power in terms of governance in his Kingdom?

In an interview with Radio Australia King George says he didn’t feel any pressure “from below”, but felt more pressure from his “own class” to keep the monarchical system strongly in place. Wait, so the King wants democracy. With his plum-mouthed accent, which can sometimes come off as having a blase attitude towards monarchy matters, he announces that he would not have supported a move to diminish his power if he had been fully learned in a Tongan education system.

King George becomes the people’s hero by voicing his support to give more power to the People’s Representatives in Parliament. I am pleasantly surprised by his willingness to move towards a balanced change. Recent developments, apart from the odd dodgy court ruling, seem promising in that the Tongan monarchy identity remains intact while the people are allowed to exercise more power over who is well, in power.

In the radio interview the King continues to earn favour by quoting a phrase which literally means “every Tongan has a road to the Palace” which is cute, whether it will be translated into Tonga’s newly formed democratic Parliament is yet to be seen.

Right now, the people seem to want change – and the King agrees.

Excerpt from online NZ herald article:

A One News item that claimed Samoa was “awash with drugs and guns” breached broadcast standards on balance, fairness, and accuracy, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has ruled.

The authority has upheld a complaint from Samoa’s Attorney-General about the item, which screened on April 6 last year and was repeated in an extended form on Tagata Pasifika on April 9.

One News introduced the item as an exclusive about a Pacific paradise “awash with guns and drugs” where criminal gangs were building up a “terrifying arsenal”.

The authority ordered TVNZ to broadcast a summary of the decision on One News and Tagata Pasifika within a month of the decision and to pay complainant costs of $5000 and Crown costs of $2000.

- NZPA

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From nzherald.co.nz:

Herald reporter honoured

December 3, 2009

Herald reporter Vaimoana Tapaleao has been recognised by the Human Rights Commission for her piece on New Zealand families grieving for lives lost in the sinking of Tongan ferry Princess Ashika.

Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said the 23-year-old’s four-page feature “highlighted the strong familial ties between New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and the way the pain of this Pacific tragedy directly impacted on New Zealand”.

The feature ran in the Weekend Herald on November 7.

Tongan ferry disaster: Farewell to loved ones lost at sea

Nov 7, 2009

Three months ago, the ferry Princess Ashika sank in heavy seas on an overnight sailing in Tonga.

Seventy-four of those on board died. Two bodies were recovered – the rest went down with the vessel, which remains beneath 110m of water, beyond recovery. Five weeks ago the Samoan tsunami disaster pushed the Tongan ferry tragedy out of the headlines. For this special report Vaimoana Tapaleao talked to the families of ferry victims with ties to New Zealand, so that they would not be forgotten.

Read rest of the feature online <HERE>

Official inquiry into Tongan ferry sinking begins

Tongan PM claims misreporting

Sceptism over value of Tongan disaster inquiry

Hunger strike woman seek dismissal of Tongan PM

It is no surprise that the question of whether funds raised for the pacific tsunami are going to ‘the people’. The story has presented an opportunity for attitudes towards mismanagement of money and corruption in the pacific to resurface.

First of all, it is the nature of journalism to question. Ideally, journalism is ‘for the people’.

There has been tension between the goodwill of people and the supposed greed of people in the coverage of this issue.

Some argue that throwing that scepticism around without any real evidence is dangerous, damaging and disrespectful.

Questions of concern were raised by Porirua Deputy Mayor Litea Ah Hoi who says since then she has been ‘bullied’ and ‘demonised’ for her comments.

“Ms Ah Hoi says the issues are widely talked about on the streets of Samoa but people won’t speak publicly for fear it will deter countries from offering further aid. She says she had spoken with health workers in the village of Saleapaga who told her they were waiting for trucks with fresh water to wash and bath in, people were still living in tents and the public port-a-loos had not been serviced in three weeks.”

She was just telling it how it was for her, I do not think this is reason for her to be targeted. However, upset Samoan communities may feel she did not consider the wider implications of her claims and that the claims of corruption may have struck a defensive chord with Pacific people who already feel unfairly portrayed as dishonest.

When a kick and fuss is made about an alleged crime shouldn’t the same kick and fuss be made when a ‘country’ is exonerated? Was there anything to be exonerated for?

The Samoan government may have been over reactive in their response to Litea and MP Palusalue’s questioning of aid allocation. In an article by Samoa’s government newspaper the Prime Minister said, “Such claims can only come from a person with a bitter heart” in reference to Palusalue, and Litea says she has received emails of a “threatening nature”.

Litea visited every destroyed village, she found cause for concern and it is her duty to report it. Some do not treat her so kindly as demonstrated in this interesting blog “Litea Ah Hoi – what a stinker”.

The blog goes as far as to call her “a self obsessed media loving councillor” who:

“flew to Samoa in her prissy suit and tip toed past Saleapaga and Poutasi, thus making her the ‘voice of the oppessed and savior of humanity’
Oka, this never ending colonial attitude of ‘I know best, I’ll fly to the third world, save the savages and leave my nofo vaevaeloloa for a few days”

This blog is as scathing as it is interesting.

The PM of Samoa says Litea’s accusations were premature considering aid had not even really arrived yet and that people who were rebuilding had received early assistance from family and friends, not from the government.

When these types of questions are raised it is so important that the facts are there and stories are balanced. An example is the article ‘Warning over charity scams’ noting that no complaints had been made to the charities commission. Furthermore, it was a member of the Samoan community that raised the issue, which seems to ideologically place the community in control.

Some articles do have a tinge of Samoan’s perhaps being ‘opportunistic savages’. For example:

“Some of those who have complained of not getting anything, upon double checking with our records, indicate that they’ve been getting aid regularly. Upon questioning, they’d come up with another excuse.”

and:

“It’s only natural, he said, that some will deny receiving any aid so they can get more aid.”

Ideological implications aside, and the fact that we are still waiting for evidence that ’truckloads of goods’ were stolen (some say, waiting for journalists to actually investigate…) the fact is, Litea Ah Hoi’s intentions were to make sure aid was given to those who need it.

You can’t hate on that.

Deputy mayor refuses to be bullied – Esther Lauaki

Samoan PM rejects tsunami aid claims by ‘bitter’ Palusalue - Tupuola Tavita

No way ‘truckloads full of goods’ can be sold at shops says DMO

Samoan families still wait for help - Martin Kay