King Tupou VI said this morning he was dissatisfied that both the government and parliament did not keep to their promises to address his concerns over the country’s economy, education and health issues.
The king was fed up with the House and the government saying they gave him the same responses every year without doing anything further to resolve these issues.
He was concerned about the terrifying challenge “pole fakalilifu” of illicit drugs.
His Majesty said the government appears to have done nothing or did not do enough such as increasing the budget for the war on drugs.
He said Police and its stakeholders should be a priority.
He also criticised the government’s involvement in running economic enterprises, something he said that in democratic countries, that was the responsibility of private sectors.
The king said government boards should focus on the financial results for the shareholders and leave the daily operations to people who have been specially trained to do the job.
His Majesty said the government should be cautious in appointing its board of directors as some of them have no experience at all in the kind of works with which the boards were dealing.
“If the country’s economy was good why there was a fall in the value of the currency?” he asked.
He said the government did not support privates businesses which provide local food products and services. The king said this may have helped control the rise in Tonga’s international debts obligations.
He said every year the Members of Parliament have campaigned under the banner of honesty but the king has questioned the Cabinet ministers’ roles to submit annual ministerial and parliamentary reports.
“The Parliament failed to oversee the government of the day’s daily businesses and therefore the taxpayers and the people of the country, who have voted in the Members of Parliament, should vote prudently (“fakapotopoto”) as you were the ones who voted in this government, which is now in the House”, the king said.
The king has raised his serious concerns this morning while he was addressing the nation during his livestream opening speech to mark the beginning of the mid-year parliamentary session 2021.
Ko e Tōfolofola’
Tō folofola huufi ‘o e Fale Alea ‘O Tonga, 6 ‘o Me 2021.
‘Oku ou fakafeta’i ki he ‘otua ‘oku tu’u ai e lelei ‘a Tonga pea mo ‘ene tauhi ma’ae kakai ‘o e fonua. ’oku laumalie lelei ai ‘a e ‘eiki sea ‘o e falealea, ‘eiki palemia , moe kau minista ‘o e kapineti , kau fakafofonga ‘o e hou’eiki nopele, pea pehe ki he kau fakafofonga ‘o e kakai.
‘Oku ‘ikai fakafiemalie ‘a e ‘ikai ke fakahoko ‘e he fale ni ha ngaue, hili ‘a e ngaahi palomesi moe tali ‘i he huufi ‘o e falelalea ‘i he ta’u takitaha. koe ta’u kotoa ‘oku tataki atu ‘a e tokanga ki ngaahi makatu’unga ‘e tolu, ko e mo’ui lelei, ako , moe tu’unga faka’ekonomika ‘o e fonua. ka koe ta’u kotoa koe tali tatau pe kae ‘ikai ke ai ha ngaue makehe ‘e fakahoko.
Kimui ni mai na’e tataki e tokanga ki he pole fakalilifu ‘o e faito’o konatapu. ka ‘oku ha mai ‘oku si’is’ii pe, ‘oku te’eki ke ai ha ‘inasi e vahe’i makehe he fale ni pe koe pule’anga ke fakafepaki’i ‘aki ‘a e pole faingata’a ko eni. ‘oku totonu ke fakamu’omu’a heni ’a e potungaue polisi moe ngaahi va’a ‘oku nau fengaueaki fakataha.
Kuo fuoloa ta’u koe tokolahi e kau fakafofonga ‘o kau ai e ni’ihi e faleni ‘oku nau taumu’a‘aki ‘a e fili ki he fale ‘a e kaveinga ‘o e faitotonu.koe fe leva ’a e ngaahi fakamatala ngaue fakata’u ‘a e kau minister koe ha ‘oku to’o ai ‘e he pule’anga ‘a e ngaahi faingamlie mei he sekitoa fakatupu koloa taautaha ‘a ia ‘oku tefito ai ‘a e ngaahi no mei muli. ‘oku matuaki mahu’inga ke mahino koe ngaue ‘a e pule’anga ke fakalele ‘a e puleanga kae ‘ikai koe kau he ngaahi pisinisi.
Kuo tu’o lahi ‘ene feinga ke fakalele ‘a e ngaahi ngaue ‘a ia ‘i he ngaahi fonua fakatemokalati koe fatongia ia ke fakahoko he ngaahi pisinisi.
‘Oku fiema’u ke fakatokanga’i lelei ‘a e ngaahi poate ‘a e pule’anga koe’uhi koe poate ‘e ni’ihi ‘oku fakahoko ‘a e fakalele faka’aho ‘o e ngaue ‘e he kau memipa ‘o e poate ‘a ia ‘oku si’isi’i ‘enau taukei ‘i he mala’e koia. ka ‘oku fiema’u ke tokanga ‘a e poate ki he ola fakapa’anga ma’ae kau ma’u ‘inasi, kae tuku ‘a e fakalele ‘o e ngaue faka’aho ke fakahoko ia he kau ngaue kuo ‘osi teu’i mo taukei ngaue.
Kapau ‘oku fakafiemalie ‘a e tu’unga faka’ekonika ‘o e fonua pea koe ha leva ‘oku holo ‘a e mahu’inga ‘o ‘etau pa’anga ‘o fakatatau ki he pa’anga ‘o e ngaahi fonua muli ‘oku tau fefakatau’aki.
‘Oku toe hiki moe ngaahi mo’ua mei he hu koloa mei muli ka na’e mei lava pe ke holo ‘i hono ngaue’aki ‘a e me’atokoni ‘oku fakatupu fakalotofonua ka ‘oku ‘ikai foki ke tokoni’i lahi ia ‘e he pule’anga .koe tokolahi ‘o e ngaahi ngaue’anga fakalotofonua ko ‘eni ‘oku nau tu’u ‘i he mo’ua lahi pe kuo nau tapuni.
‘Oku ‘ikai ke fakahoko ‘i he fale ni ‘a ‘ene ngaue koe vakai’i lelei ‘a e ngaahi ngaue ‘a e pule’anga ‘o e ‘aho, koia ‘oku taau ke vakai’i lelei ‘e he kau totongi tukuhau moe kakai ‘o e fonua ‘a ia ‘oku nau fili ‘a e kau fakafofonga falealea, kenau fakahoko fakapotopoto ‘enau fili he koe pule’anga ‘oku ‘i fale ni koe pule’anga ia na’a mou fili ai.
‘Otua mo Tonga ko Hoku Tofi’a
Kou ‘ofa atu.
