Transcript
SITIVENI HALAPUA: The first point - they are struggling with the implementation of what they want. They realise that power itself is necessary but not sufficient and the second point is they are struggling to find a common ground and a direction so that they all agree about where they are taking the country forward.
DON WISEMAN: So they have no idea of political compromise you mean?
SH: Yes and the reason being - that is something that needs to be done prior to the formation of the government. It is not something that you wait until you form the government and then start the process of compromise and negotiation. Of course there are things you have to do after the formation of government to carry out compromise, but the more fundamental negotiation/compromise is done before the formation - for instance you have to agree on what are the major policies that you all need to pursue. Major, major policy or differences that need to be compromised and agreed on, on those different policies. There was none, none whatsoever, as far as I know and I remember. That was decided after they formed the government.
DW: In terms of some of the difficulties that Akilisi has talked about and he talks about how there are a number of office holders who are appointed by the Privy Council and he doesn't have control over them. They are not the people he wants so therefore he takes an adversarial approach to them it seems.
SH: That's not true because the main policy holders who are responsible for implementing policy and carrying out the work for the country, are the ministers themselves and the prime minister. They are the main office holders, responsible for the day to day running of government. The policy holders he is probably speaking about is a reference to the judiciary system and we haven't seen a situation where the judiciary system in Tonga becomes problematic and responsible for the problems we are facing now. And I think it is kind of passing the buck and challenging the power of the King, because that side of the equation, the King is responsible for. But I am talking about the government and the ministers and the senior officials responsible for the day to day running of the government. That is what I am talking about. And you cannot pass on the buck, because, as the American saying is, the buck stops there. It stops at the prime minister and his cabinet - you cannot pass it on to somebody else.
DW: In terms of compromise and the ability to work with people, are you surprised that someone with a long political run like Akilisi Pohiva has had, that he hasn't acquired that?
SH: Well it doesn't really surprise me because he genuinely and effectively struggled, but that struggle really occurred outside the system if you like. He was in the system but the struggle itself mainly took place outside. So probably when you see things from outside you might have a simplistic view of how things work. When you are inside and you raise the expectation of the people, and you are expected not only by the people but by the constitution, the King himself, His Majesty, to work and act in accordance with the laws of the country and that is where a problem can arise. Because when you are outside you are struggling, you don't really care about the rule, and the law, because you think and believe that the rules and the laws are injustice. That is a very different thing from when you are inside the government and you are expected, there is no two ways about it, you have to work in accordance with the Constitution,according to the law and the regulations, and that is very difficult for a person who is not used to it, or never had that experience before. That person is quite likely to begin to think that the laws are really constraints on what you are trying to achieve. You cannot really think like that if you are in government. Maybe you can think like that when you are outside, but not in government.
DW: Two years through their term, do they have enough time and the wherewithal to turn things around and present themselves positively, going into the next election?
SH: Well, you can try but I think there is not enough time for that because the first 12 months, or even, should be as the Americans put it the first 100 days, that is when you put the direction for the country and where you want to be. That's the first 100 days or the first six months at the most but now we are in the 12 month period to try to set the direction on where you want to go and what do you want to be for the country in the remaining two years - to me it is too late because by the time you come to the realisation about the direction you are going, you are ready for the next election. So I don't think the time and the opportunity is there, for the next two years.
DW: So the possibility is that Tonga could end up with a noble-led government next time round?
SH: Well, we will see how it goes but that is a very high possibility, likelihood. Because I must say - I don't claim to listen to parliament debates all the time - but the few debates I listen to I am quite impressed with the performance of the nobles. Not because they are nobles but probably because they do their homework. I think the people's representatives have yet to rise to that level.
