20 Mar 2012

King of Tonga dies

7:12 am on 20 March 2012

The Tongan cabinet has been discussing arrangements for the funeral of King George Tupou V who died in Hong Kong on Sunday aged 63.

The cabinet says it will have to take into account the cost of a funeral and the coronation of his brother and successor because the country is so cash strapped.

It is to meet again Monday night to finalise details of the official mourning period which will be announced on Tuesday.

King George Tupou V, who introduced Tonga's first democratically elected parliament, died after a six-year rule.

He was rushed to a hospital in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon and died a few hours later with brother and heir to the throne Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka at his bedside.

The official announcement of King George's death was made early on Monday in Tonga.

Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano said his untimely death is an unexpected black storm cloud that has covered the kingdom. He asked the nation to pray for comfort for the royal family and all the people of Tonga.

Deputy opposition leader Sitiveni Halapua said it was public knowledge that King George was receiving treatment in the United States for cancer, but news of his death came as a great surprise.

King George was sworn-in in September 2006 following the death of his father, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. His coronation, which lasted several days, was delayed until 2008 as the tiny kingdom reeled from the impact of riots in the capital Nuku'alofa.

The king was known to the outside world for eccentricities such as his elaborate uniforms and being driven around his country in a London taxi.

But he will be remembered by his subjects for introducing the kingdom's first democratically elected parliament.

Melino Maka, the chairperson of the Tongan Advisory Council in New Zealand told Radio New Zealand on Monday the king did great things for the Pacific nation.

"For us and for those who have been calling for a more democratic Tonga it is sad, because he masterminded all the changes that Tonga is having at the moment."

Pro-democracy MP Akilisi Pohiva said the recognition of the Tongan people's fight for democracy came late - but it came nonetheless.

King George Tupou V was born on 4 May 1948 and was schooled in New Zealand. He was unmarried and had a daughter born out of marriage, 'Ilima Lei Fifita Tohi. As Crown Prince, he was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1979-88.

Democratic changes

In November 2006, eight people were killed and much of the central business district in Nuku'alofa was destroyed in the riots when people protested against the slow pace of political reform in Tonga.

But within two years, the Oxford University-educated monarch had made good on his pledge for democracy and the people of Tonga voted in their first popularly elected parliament in 2010, ending 165 years of feudal rule.

The democratic changes replaced the former feudal system where the public could only vote for nine of the 33 representatives in parliament, which was dominated by a clique of nobles selected by the king, who also chose the prime minister and cabinet.

NZ offers condolences

Prime Minister John Key offered condolences to the people of Tonga on Monday, saying King George will also be sadly missed by New Zealand's Tongan community.

Mr Key says the king made a very valuable contribution in steering Tonga towards democracy.

The Prime Minister says he believed the monarchy was an instrument of change and King George's enduring legacy will be his work as the architect of the evolving democracy in the Pacific nation.

Labour Party leader David Shearer says the king was held in high esteem across the Pacific and many will share Tonga's grief.

Mr Shearer says King George will be remembered for voluntarily relinquishing most of his powers in order to meet the democratic aspirations of his people.