Prime Minister Sovaleni Facing Growing Pressure to Resign
Recent developments have led to unnecessary public political smearing and undermining of His Majesty’s authority as Head of State, risky decisions using national retirement funds, and questionable ethics behind secretive government commercial operations. These issues have called into question Prime Minister Sovaleni’s ability to lead with competency and integrity.
The Opposition’s stillborn motion for a Parliamentary Vote of No Confidence also hasn’t been completely aborted; it hangs in the Courts for judicial review and could still be revived to potentially oust the current administration from power.
All these ‘creeping’ crises indicate the final test for Sovaleni’s ability to keep his administration intact, on track, and to move forward with development.
Slow Creeping Coup
On the international level, the administration’s continued refusal to implement decisions by the King’s withdrawal of the Defence and Foreign Affairs portfolios has attracted criticism and unnecessary indignation against His Majesty.
One New Zealand editor flagged this in a substack article on social media, suggesting the King is making moves to re-absorb the military to stage a military coup. Another commentator labelled the King in Tonga as an autocratic psychopath and expressed hopes for his “overthrow.” This argument is particularly rich considering New Zealand is a far-flung realm of another monarchy on the opposite side of the world, and a previous colony of Australia. The monarchy and Tu’i Tonga institution in Tonga are as old, or older, as counterparts in Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire 1500 years ago.
The Prime Minister and his administration should understand the implications of causing a public tit-for-tat against His Majesty’s decision as Head of State. If they didn’t know, then that’s even worse because it is akin to children playing with fire and risking burning down the building.
More importantly, the Prime Minister departs from the established defacto policy of His Majesty leading foreign and security policies—defence, police, and foreign service. In fact, he even attempts to take over these operations despite lacking the wherewithal or experience to lead them properly. In his typical micromanaging fashion, he tries to “run” these operations but then hands them to crony schoolmates and former employers as advisers or operators.
Firstly, after a disastrous lawsuit where the government lost for unjustly firing an employee, the dismissed Foreign Minister Fekita Utoikamanu started a new quarrel with the Foreign Secretary Viliami Malolo. It is alleged Utoikamanu also attempted to replace all current ambassadors and high commissioners with candidates of her own. Malolo, the Lord Privy Seal in the Privy Council, was appointed by the King as Secretary of Foreign Affairs. The Constitution specifically states His Majesty appoints our foreign representatives.
Secondly, regarding security policy, the Prime Minister is reported to have completely ignored his responsibilities as Minister to the Ministry and Defence Board meetings (He is also the police minister). However, he is eager to travel on defence-related meetings abroad and has even set up his own “Security and Intelligence Unit” at the PMO, seconding a former schoolmate of his from the army to head this new role. The security and intelligence services represent the hardest and sharpest end of the spear in government power, an extremely dangerous area prone to ethical, moral, and legal abuses. If the Prime Minister and his advisors had an inkling of what that area entails, how central the King’s sovereignty is to our security (also underpinning our security strategy based on partnership with other countries, as Tonga is too small and poor to face any particular security situation on its own), they would never have meddled with it. All actions should be consulted and based on the apolitical offices of the Head of State, i.e., the Monarchy, as has been done by previous governments.
Security also defines our military and civilian national security strategies. Intelligence is a subset of that. The interplay of various countries’ security and strategic interests is what’s called geopolitics and geostrategy. Both are firmly functions of the virtual Ministry of War, and only His Majesty can wield that authority. He is the Commander-In-Chief and himself a very able and qualified naval officer in his own merit. So why interfere with that? Does he appreciate the defacto precedent of meddling he has established?
This sort of mission creep, where the Prime Minister slowly takes over powers and authorities only allowed to the Head of State and potentially politicizing them, is extremely dangerous and worrying.
The gritty difficulties of domestic politics and policy alone are more than enough to keep the administration busy and occupied. After all, they are the voters as well. Nothing is better for elected officials than constantly mingling with their voters and nurturing relationships. That’s if the administration needs that cooperation. In fact, the topography of government domestic policies focuses on a welfare state where the government is all, does all, is all, be all (such as the Strategic Development Framework). The everyday man and woman are passive consumers of social services and spectators of the administration’s ‘hunt’ for foreign aid in high international meetings and audiences with high-level foreign dignitaries. This sort of ‘bread and circuses’ entrancing the populace with the prestige of global institutional power, even though Tonga is tiptoeing around major geostrategic developments that could have accelerated development.
The risky purchase of over $7million of shares in Lulutai Airlines using retirees’ pensions and pension funds, without proper professional independent valuation lacks the integrity required of this investment. It’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, potentially impoverishing tens of thousands of people of their hard-earned and much-needed income in old age. It may even be fatal to many.
It is high time the Prime Minister steps down as his health deteriorates. His and his administration’s actions have not made Tonga safer, more secure, or more prosperous. In fact, when viewed across similar administrations, things will only get worse. He should take the cue now, save whatever good legacy he’s achieved, and let a younger stalwart of his administration take the lead, such as Dr. Viliami Latu, among others. There’s also Dr. Aisake Eke et al from Parliament who can carry the baton forward. Otherwise, the black spot of incompetence will ultimately force itself into reality and consequence.
