Freedom in the World 2001 - Tonga

2001 Scores

Status: Partly Free
Freedom Rating: 4.0
Civil Liberties: 3
Political Rights: 5

Overview

King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV appointed his youngest son, 41-year-old prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ato, as prime minister in January 2000. This surprised observers who expected the king to appoint his eldest son, Crown Prince Pupouto'a, to the position. In July, Foreign Secretary Tu'a Taumoepeau Tupou was replaced by Mrs. Akosita Fineanganofo. Mr. Tupou heads Tonga's first mission to the United Nations. Tonga received military logistics aid worth nearly $170,000 from China after shifting diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China last year. In April, the Tonga police minister charged on several occasions that New Zealand was interfering in the kingdom's internal affairs by proposing to give aid to its pro-democracy movement.

Tonga is made up of 169 islands in the South Pacific, with a predominantly Polynesian population. It was unified as a kingdom under King George Tupou I in 1845. In 1970, Tonga became an independent member of the Commonwealth after 70 years of British influence. King Taufa'ahau Tupou has reigned since 1945. The country's longest-serving prime minister, prince Fatafehi Tu'ipelehake, the king's brother, died in 1999. The prince was prime minister from 1965 to 1991, when illness compelled him to retire. Tonga gained full membership to the UN in 1999.

The 30-seat parliament serves a three-year term and consists of 12 ministers from the privy council, 9 nobles selected by and from Tonga's 33 noble families, and 9 People's Representatives (commoners) elected by universal suffrage. The government has not responded to the democratic opposition's call for holding direct elections for all 30 parliamentary seats and allowing the parliament, rather than the king, select to the privy council (cabinet). However, the government has allowed a democratic party to participate in elections and hold political rallies. In the 1990 legislative elections, pro-democracy candidates won five commoner seats. In August 1992, reform-oriented commoner representatives, led by Akilisi Pohiva, formed the pro-democracy movement (PDM). At the 1993 elections, pro-democracy candidates won six commoner seats. In 1994, the pro-democracy movement organized Tonga's first political party, the Tonga Democratic Party, which was subsequently renamed the People's Party. In the January 1996 elections, pro-democracy candidates took all nine commoner seats. The pro-democracy movement organized a convention to discuss a new, more democratic constitution (the current one has remained virtually unchanged since 1875) in January 1999. The government did not endorse the meeting but showed a more relaxed attitude by allowing non-Tongans to attend the meeting and government civil servants to participate in their personal capacity. However, in the March 1999 elections, democratic candidates won only 5 of the commoners' seats. Some observers questioned whether this signaled a decline in support for the pro-democracy movement.

The government has also been more receptive to the pro-democracy movement's call for greater transparency and accountability. In 1999, former Lands Minister Fakafanua stood trial for charges of bribery, misuse of public funds, abuse of power, and fraud. In 1988, after receiving a petition of more than 1,000 signatures, the king ordered a parliamentary investigation of Nobel Fusitu'a, speaker of the parliament, for charges of financial mismanagement and abuse of power.

The Tongan economy continued to struggle in 2000. Also, like many other Pacific Islands nations trying to develop alternative economic development options, Tonga was implicated in money laundering activities and was blacklisted by the United States and several European countries. The government also allegedly gave exclusive rights to an Australian company to conduct genetic research on the Tongan people. Tonga's small population makes it easier for researchers to trace lineage and genealogy as they seek to understand the function of specific human genes. Human rights groups said that the agreement was never publicly discussed. Television Tonga, a new public television station, was officially launched on July 4th.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Tongans have limited democratic means to change their government. The 1875 constitution grants the king and hereditary nobles a perpetual majority in parliament with a total of 21 out of 30 seats. This allows legislation to be passed without the assent of the popularly elected People's Representatives, whose 9 seats represent roughly 95 percent of the population. Nevertheless, the commoner representatives have managed, on occasion, to reject legislation and the budget when joined by some noble representatives. The king has broad executive powers, appoints the prime minister, and appoints and heads the privy council. The king and the nobility also hold a preeminent position in society through substantial land holdings.

Criticisms against the king, his family, and the government are not well tolerated. In 1985, Pohiva disclosed that assemblymen granted themselves pay raises. He has faced harassment since. In the early 1990s, he was fined for allegedly defaming the crown prince. In 1998, the supreme court acquitted Pohiva of criminal libel charges for a statement regarding the business dealings of the king's daughter, but he was found guilty of two defamation charges over comments about Police Minister Clive Edwards. The Tonga-based editor of the Times of Tonga was also found guilty of defaming Edwards and fined about $400. Michael Field, a correspondent for Agence France Presse, has been denied entry into Tonga since 1993, after writing about Tonga's pro-democracy movement and allegations of government financial mismanagement.

The government weekly Tonga Chronicle carries some opposition views. There are several private newspapers, including the Times of Tonga, Kele'a, and an outspoken Roman Catholic Church newsletter. Political coverage on the Tonga Broadcast Commission's Radio Tonga favors the government, and the state owns the country's two television stations.

Religious freedom is respected in this predominantly Christian society. There are no significant restrictions on freedom of assembly. The 1964 Trade Union Act recognizes the right of workers to form independent unions. None has formed because most Tongans engage in subsistence agriculture. The king appoints all judges, and the lower levels of the judiciary are not independent. The supreme court is independent and uses expatriate judges.

Citizens are free to travel domestically and abroad. Women generally occupy a subordinate role in this male-dominated society. Few women participate in the formal labor force, and they cannot own land or hold noble titles.