Democrat politician Semisi Sika has challenged Prime Minister Dr. Pohiva Tu’o’onetoa to join him in working for free.
As Kaniva News reported yesterday, the Prime Minister moved in Parliament that he, other ministers and MPs take a 20% pay cut to show solidarity with those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
Hon. Sika said Hon. Tu’o’onetoa should leave the Ministers and MPs alone and that he and the Prime Minister should donate their salaries to Covid-19 relief.
The Prime Minister’s proposal was made in his pre-Budget speech, which said the kingdom would face a budget deficit in the 2020-2021 financial year.
While Tonga has remained disease free, its economy has not escaped the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hammered all the Pacific Islands’ economies.
Hon. Tu’o’onetoa said his proposal would have to go to the Remuneration Authority, which would work on the details.
He said the money would be expected to directly go to anybody affected by the effect of the epidemic.
It was important to show solidarity with the people at this difficult time and that there was lots of work to do in the community, he said.
Hon. Sika said the amount saved from the proposed cut would be small and that during the lockdown people had knocked on MPs’ doors asking for help.
The Speaker said the Prime Minister’s proposed cuts would save TP$395,900.
According to Hansard, Hon. Sika said he had not received any details about the Prime Minister’s motion or how the money would help Covid-19.
The Democrat politician said it was important to have a proper discussion about where any money saved would go.
Economic outlook
In February this year, before the full economic implications of the Covid-19 outbreak were understood, the International Monetary Fund said Tonga’s economy was slowly recovering, but that the outlook for growth was modest and fragile due to slower global growth, weaker than expected agricultural exports, and significant risks including natural disasters.
Tonga has been hard hit economically by the shutdown of businesses that has occurred because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As Kaniva News reported elsewhere today, the World Bank has predicted that remittances to the Asia-Pacific region will fall by a third because of the virus.
The destruction of the Pacific’s tourism industry by Covid-19 could plunge thousands of people into poverty, according to a report by the International Labour Organisation.
The ILO said thousands of jobs in countries like Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa depended on dependent visitor numbers, which had fallen to zero as international flights were cancelled and cruise ships were turned away.
The main points
- Democrat politician Semisi Sika has challenged Prime Minister Dr. Pohiva Tu’o’onetoa to join him in working for free.
- As Kaniva News reported yesterday, the Prime Minister moved in Parliament that he and other ministers take a 20% pay cut to show solidarity with those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
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