30 Aug 2016

Tongan minister says no-confidence talk not good for country

7:25 am on 30 August 2016

A Tongan cabinet minister says the no-confidence mechanism within the constitution doesn't help political stability.

Tonga's Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva

Tonga's Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva Photo: Alex Perrottet / RNZ

For the past month Noble Representative Lord Vaea has threatened a no confidence motion saying the government has underperformed, particularly when it comes to the budget and changes to the education sector.

Although the Constitution allows for no-confidence motions to be filed 18 months after a government is elected, no such motion has been submitted yet.

Health Minister Saia Piukala says the talk and threats were not a good look.

"If you look at the stability of the government, you can't really run the government and after one year and six months then you change the government. Then one term will be just changing government and nothing much done to the country. So in terms of stability, I think the vote of no confidence, I know it's in the Constitution, but for the stability of government it is not too good," said Dr Saia Piukala

During the last term of Parliament, the current Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva in his role then as opposition leader, led a failed no-confidence motion in the government.

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