The Speaker of Parliament ordered the live broadcast of the House’s debates to be turned off on Monday to allow the MPs to freely discussed the letter drafted as a response to the king’s speech last week to open the 2020-2021 sessions.
However, later during the session Lord Tu’iha’angana said the debates should have been broadcast live for the public to listen and learn from them.
The Parliamentarians debated the languages used in the letter, taking special care about the vocabulary and grammar.
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Fisheries Lord Tu’ilakepa questioned the use of the word fakamākukanga, saying the king may not understand what it meant.
He said the word was new to him and the word tukupā was normally used instead.
Responding, Vava’u 14 MP Saia Piukala said that in Tongan the word meant faivelenga or tōtoivi and it has been used by the Ministry of Ombudsman in writing their laws and was in the Tongan dictionary.
Minister of Internal Affairs Vātau Hui told the House the vocabulary was old-fashioned and the synonym ‘osikiavelenga could be used, which was simple and understandable.
The Minister, who was also a tutor on Tongan language, warned that using of a comma in the letter appeared unnecessary in some paragraphs and they had to be used correctly.
Tongatapu 9 MP Penisimani Fifita reminded the House of the social classification and usage of the Tongan language in which different words were used for the king, the nobility and the commoners.
The former teacher and Minister of Education said the word fakamākukanga added quality and fitted a letter to the king.
“When we talk about the king we used words that were tasty, pleasing and gratifying,” the Minister said in Tongan.
He said fakamākukanga in English meant to dedicate, commit and do the best.
The House finally passed the letter and the Speaker has chosen Lord Tu’i’āfitu and MP Piukala to take the letter to the Palace.
New Screens Use / Sworn in
The Speaker, Lord Fakafanua, revealed during Monday’s session that new screens had been placed around the chamber so Ministers and Parliamentary staff could see which MPs were taking part in each debate.
New MP for Tongatapu 1 Siaosi Pohiva was sworn in during Monday’s session.
He took his oath and swore to abide by the Constitution and the Law of Tonga and to perform his utmost in the best interest of the public.
He replaced the former MP of his constituency, his late father and former Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva who died last year.
The main points
- The Speaker of Parliament ordered the live broadcast of the House’s debates to be turned off on Monday to allow the MPs to freely discussed the letter drafted as a response to the king’s speech last week to open the 2020-2021 sessions.
- However, later during the session Lord Tu’iha’angana said the debates should have been broadcast live for the public to listen and learn from them.
For a Tongan who claims that fakamākukanga is a new word and he also never heard of it before; what a joke! need more schooling I suggest. Putting down the king to a standard of not knowing the language is so humiliating. Another one said that it was old fashioned, possibly due to lack of knowledge or usage of the word in real life. In the classroom, this word was regarded as the most suitable to describe the dedicated work performed by students targeting good results. Sometimes refers to those in the Church Ministries for their performances and sacrifices made through service.