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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 SUVA 000262 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EMBASSY MANILA PASS TO ADB 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016 
TAGS: PREL PHUM MARR PGOV PINR EFIN CVIS TN CH
SUBJECT: TONGA'S POLITICAL EVOLUTION: HOW FAR AND HOW FAST? 
 
REF: A. SUVA 139 (AND PREVIOUS) 
     ¶B. SUVA 156 
 
Classified By: Amb. Dinger.  Sec. 1.4 (B,D). 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1. (C)  The public drive in Tonga for political change seems 
to have decelerated in recent months, though debate is no 
longer about whether change should occur, but about the pace 
and degree.  New Prime Minister Sevele's series of modest 
reforms may have reduced pressure.  Also, people may be 
awaiting results from the ongoing National Committee for 
Political Reform (NCPR) process.  Pro-democracy activists, 
nervous about the intentions of the Crown Prince and PM 
Sevele, intend to keep pushing.  A worrisome element is 
Government's attempt to curb anti-monarchy speech via 
sedition charges.  Meanwhile, ailing King Tupou IV returned 
to Tonga from New Zealand for his 88th birthday.  Tonga's 
fiscal gurus have so far successfully steered through 
pressures created by last summer's public-service salary 
settlement.  A redundancy package accepted by almost a 
quarter of Tonga's civil service should help.  China's roles 
in Tonga remain complex.  In a comment, we note that the 
NCPR's report, due in September, will help frame future 
debate on political reform.  Thus, we continue to advocate 
USG funding assistance for the NCPR's media outreach.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (C)  The Ambassador visited Tonga June 27-29, accompanying 
Charles Salmon, Foreign Policy Advisor at the Asia-Pacific 
Center for Security Studies (see septel), who was on a 
speaking tour through the Pacific region.  They met with 
Crown Prince (Prince Regent) Tupouto'a, PM Sevele, Finance 
Minister 'Utoikamanu, Attorney General Taumoepeau, the 
Commander of the Tonga Defense Service (TDS) Colonel Uta'atu, 
pro-democracy People's Representatives Akilisi Pohiva and 
Clive Edwards, and others. 
 
From boil to simmer? 
-------------------- 
¶3. (C)  For most people in Tonga, the political temperature 
seems to have reduced during the past few months.  Prince 
Regent Tupouto'a's appointment in March of Fred Sevele, a 
former pro-democracy activist, as the first commoner Prime 
Minister since a British citizen had that role in the late 
1800s, is seen as encouraging.  Sevele's freedom to select 
several new members of Cabinet on his own initiative, with 
subsequent royal assent, is also seen by many as a plus.  The 
departure of arch-conservative Deputy PM Cecil Cocker to be 
Consul General in San Francisco and his replacement as Deputy 
by the well-respected Minister of Health, Dr. Viliami Tangi, 
is particularly propitious for reform prospects.  The new 
Attorney General 'Alisi Taumoepeau (former Solicitor General 
and the wife of an A-G whom the Crown Prince fired a year 
ago) has a pro-democracy orientation.  New ministerial 
positions for civil aviation and tourism appear to focus 
attention on Tonga's only glimmering economic prospect: the 
tourist industry. 
 
¶4. (C)  Sevele's creation of a "chief of staff" position in 
the PM's office and his filling it with Lopeti Senituli, the 
well-respected former head of Tonga's leading human-rights 
organization, have drawn kudos.  Pushing an initiative to 
allow Tongans dual citizenship is also highly popular, and 
Sevele responded to intense lobbying by Oxfam and the 
pro-democracy movement against WTO accession by airing the 
issue publicly in Parliament before engineering ratification 
on June 30.   There is a sense that change is already 
happening at a very active pace by Tongan standards. 
 
NCPR consultations may reduce pressure for change 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
¶5. (C)  All members of the NCPR were overseas consulting with 
Tongan communities in New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S. 
during our visit.  The Committee is to submit its report by 
September 1, though PM Sevele informed us he would be willing 
to allow more time if needed.  We heard second-hand that 
turnouts at consultation sessions in Tonga were often low, 
and those villagers who spoke up tended to accent 
bread-and-butter infrastructure needs more than 
political-reform aspirations.   That lack of clamor may have 
contributed to a sense among many that Princess Regent 
 
SUVA 00000262  002 OF 004 
 
 
Pilolevu captured the public mood in her June 1 address 
(written by PM Sevele and Finance Minister 'Utoikamanu) at 
the opening of Parliament.  She said political change is 
inevitable, but it must take place at an appropriately 
measured, Tongan pace. 
 
Activists remain impatient 
-------------------------- 
¶6. (C)  Pro-democracy activists like Akilisi Pohiva, Clive 
Edwards, and new head of the Friendly Isles Human Rights and 
Democracy Movement Akaneti Lauti, remain committed to a much 
faster pace of reform.  They organized a street demonstration 
during the opening of Parliament on June 1 and presented a 
petition to the Government.  The petition raised the 
possibility of a referendum on the need for change, insisted 
on major electoral reforms prior to Tonga's next elections in 
2008, and sought a formal response within 30 days.  Since the 
Government had never responded at all to the movement's 
petitions in the past, the activists threatened and were 
preparing for "civil disobedience" which, Pohiva and Lauti 
told us, they hoped could be kept peaceful.  Lauti indicated 
frustration levels were high, a car had been torched the 
night of June 28 (with no media coverage), and violence could 
not be ruled out.  Edwards reported noticing an increased 
police presence in the vicinity of Parliament.  We urged that 
any protests be completely peaceful. 
 
¶7. (C)  When Senituli from the PM's office contacted Pohiva 
on June 28 to say Cabinet was preparing a formal response, 
activists remained dubious and suggested to us that the 
message would be, at most, an offer to negotiate.  We noted 
that a response, in itself, would be breaking new ground, and 
suggested that a pro-democracy movement dialogue with 
government could be a useful step.  In the end, just before 
the 30-day deadline, the Government did respond, urging 
maintenance of the rule of law, arguing that activists should 
await the NCPR's findings, and agreeing to a dialogue as 
necessary.  Lauti has since informed us that the 
pro-democracy movement has decided the response is 
inadequate, and some relatively mild forms of peaceful 
protest are in the cards. 
 
Sedition and free speech 
------------------------ 
¶8. (C)  The Tonga Police have filed 14 sedition charges 
against Pohiva, based on allegedly inflamatory anti-royal 
posters the pro-democracy movement has repeatedly placed in 
the Pangai Si, a downtown park and rallying point.  Pohiva 
told us he is not intimidated; he has survived such attempts 
before.  He said the posters merely quoted the Bible, citing 
Old Testament scriptural passages about the need to remove 
misbehaving kings.  Clive Edwards said his police contacts 
claim the order to prosecute came from "higher than the 
Minister of Police," i.e., from the PM.  We raised with 
Sevele the view that free political speech is very important 
for good governance. 
 
The PM's vision 
--------------- 
¶9. (C)  When we visited with the Crown Prince and then-Acting 
PM Sevele in early March (ref A), both indicated an intention 
to move "ASAP" with significant political reform.  Now, both 
seem to have scaled back the intended pace and end result. 
Sevele said he will be satisfied "if the election after next" 
in 2011 sees a majority of Parliament elected by the people. 
(Currently Parliament consists of 9 "people's 
representatives" elected by the public, 9 reps elected by the 
33 nobles, and 12 royally appointed members of Cabinet.) 
Sevele indicated one possibility would be for the nobles' 
reps to be elected by the general public.  Sevele, noting 
that the Crown Prince has made clear he wants no 
Constitutional amendments, said his own view is the King 
should retain his veto power (which we note is currently 
absolute) since that tool proved important a few years ago to 
curb a poorly-thought-out land bill passed by Parliament. 
 
The Crown Prince and royal prerogatives 
-------------------------------------- 
¶10. (C)  The Crown Prince told us he would be comfortable 
with an immediate move to increase the number of people's 
reps in Parliament.  He made clear, though, that certain 
"royal prerogatives" must be retained so that "riffraff" 
don't affect the functioning of key aspects of governance 
 
SUVA 00000262  003 OF 004 
 
 
such as the military, judiciary, public service, and the post 
office.  The Crown Prince has stayed firm in his view that a 
British judge must head Tonga's judicial system when the 
current Scotsman retires in September.  Attorney General 
Taumoepeau regrets that, since a Brit will be expensive and 
New Zealand has indicated it would happily fund a Kiwi 
replacement, the other expat judge now in Tonga. 
 
Law suit re "prince regent," a gamble that failed 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶11. (C)  When Princess Pilolevu, as Regent, officiated over 
the opening of Parliament on June 1, pro-democracy advocates 
filed a law suit alleging that the Constitution permits only 
the King or a group of 3 nobles to officiate.  The suit shut 
down Parliament for three weeks until the Chief Justice ruled 
that, under the Constitution, a prince regent carries all the 
powers of the King.  Pro-democracy's Clive Edwards said the 
plaintiffs were worried that the Crown Prince (when he 
becomes King) would one day appoint one of his business 
cronies to the role, since the Constitution does not specify 
that the regent must be a royal.  The hope had been for a 
judgment limiting prince-regent powers.  Now that the gamble 
failed, and the pro-democracy movement received bad publicity 
in Tonga for obstructing Parliament's important budget 
session, the thought of an appeal is looking dicey. 
 
The King returns 
---------------- 
¶12. (C)  During our visit, preparations were under way for 
King Tupou IV to return from New Zealand.  He has spent 
nearly all of the past six months in Auckland, suffering from 
strokes, circulation problems in his legs, and general aging. 
 However, he reportedly made clear that he wanted to 
celebrate his 88th birthday at home on July 4.  The Crown 
Prince said his father's heart "is stronger than mine," and 
he is in reasonably good health.  The King did return to 
Tonga on July 1, though his birthday activities were 
curtailed.  Reportedly the visit home will be short because 
the royal doctors in New Zealand worry, with reason, about 
Tongan health care.  Also, reportedly, royal minders want to 
avoid the prospect of an incapacitated King residing in 
Tonga.  Governance would be simpler if the King's health 
declines abroad, with a prince regent in charge at home. 
 
Fiscal pressures, civil-service redundancies 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶13. (C)  As reported ref A, the royal family's capitulation 
to a public-service strike last July-September resulted in a 
settlement that has severely strained Tonga's finances.  The 
full brunt would hit with the new fiscal year, July 1.  It 
appears that Tonga's Finance Minister and Reserve Bank have 
done wonders in macroeconomic policy, keeping inflation 
manageable.  However, costs had to be cut.  Part of the 
solution was to offer an attractive redundancy package, 
seeking 1000 acceptances, more than a quarter of the civil 
service.  Around 900 people expressed interest, and 
reportedly 820 signed acceptance letters last week.  The 
package required an immediate payout of T$22 million (USD 11 
million), which Tonga is covering by finishing off some 
long-standing ADB loans and by planning to sell its shares in 
the WestPac Bank.  Over time, the smaller civil service is 
expected to generate significant savings.  We heard that 
about 10% of the MFA and Finance Ministry staffs took the 
package; other ministries like education and health must be 
bearing much higher percentages.  Reportedly so many 
garbage-handlers departed that trash is piling up.  Observers 
worry whether bureaucracies can be nimble enough to shift 
portfolios and increase burdens to keep government 
functioning.  Finance Minister 'Utoikamanu predicted to us 
that Tonga can make ends meet until around December using 
foreseeable resources. 
 
Fiscal bail-out request to China; need for coordination 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶14. (C)  China's ambassador to Tonga confirmed to us that in 
April PM Sevele approached Premier Wen during the PRC's 
Pacific-regional meeting in Fiji (Ref B) seeking funding to 
cushion the fiscal crisis.  The ambassador said his 
government has yet to respond.  We stressed the usefulness 
for China, as a donor, to coordinate its efforts with others 
in the donor community.  We noted that the Asian Development 
Bank (ADB) has accepted the view of other donors like 
Australia, New Zealand, and ourselves that Tonga's Government 
 
SUVA 00000262  004 OF 004 
 
 
created its current fiscal crisis, and a bail-out would be 
premature pending clear signals of permanent progress on 
political and economic reforms.  For now, budgetary pressures 
appear to be helping to stimulate reform efforts. 
 
The usual Chinese assistance 
---------------------------- 
¶15. (C)  China is providing an array of assistance projects 
to Tonga.  It is about to construct, with Chinese labor, a 
pre-fab convention hall for the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) 
meetings to be held in Nuku'alofa in late October.  China 
funded the new "chief of staff" position in the PM's office 
when Australia and New Zealand declined to do so.  China is 
providing the Tonga Defense Service a modest quantity of 
uniform items.  China is providing 20 VIP vehicles for use by 
heads of state who attend the PIF. 
 
Crown Prince's businesses still a problem 
----------------------------------------- 
¶16. (C) China's ambassador flatly denied a report that PM 
Sevele sought from Premier Wen a concessional loan of 
approximately USD 30 million to cover the cost of a buy-back 
of the Crown Prince's interest in Shoreline, Tonga's electric 
utility.  Finance Minister 'Utoikamanu admitted to us that 
the Crown Prince's attitude toward his "personal" businesses 
remains a problem.  He wants to receive a much sweeter price 
for his Shoreline asset than independent evaluators believe 
is appropriate.  PM Sevele has committed to take the 
Shoreline controversy off the Crown Prince's hands, 
preferably via sale to a private company; however, not 
surprisingly, private companies insist on an arms-length 
deal. 
 
Comment and action request 
-------------------------- 
¶17. (C)  PM Sevele, with clearance from the Crown Prince, has 
initiated a set of reforms that in most countries would be 
seen as modest but in conservative Tonga are perceived by 
many as quite significant. There is a sense in Nuku'alofa 
that most Tongans believe the current pace is sufficient.  On 
our previous visits, there was a sense that most Tongans, at 
least the 70% who live on the main island of Tongatapu, were 
craving more profound reform immediately.  In part that 
conclusion was drawn from the size and vehemence of a 
political demonstration last September just after the 
public-service strike.  Now, some observers are offering a 
revisionist recollection: that the demonstration may not 
actually have been all that big, and that most people are 
content with the current political pace.  It is unclear to us 
whether the previous sense of urgency was wrong, or sentiment 
has changed, or the current perception is wrong. 
 
¶18. (C)  The pro-democracy activists have grave doubts about 
the Crown Prince's willingness to accept transition to a 
truly democratic system.  From our conversation, Tupouto'a, 
indeed, expects to retain a number of significant powers 
under any future system.  The activists worry that Sevele, a 
pro-democracy advocate before he joined Cabinet, has sold 
out.  They continue to insist that most of the public remains 
with their movement.  Activist Akilisi Pohiva has repeatedly 
topped the charts in Tongan parliamentary elections, and his 
vote percentage in 2005 was his highest ever.  The 
pro-democracy movement achieved a reasonable turnout for 
their June 1 demonstration, around 1000 people.  But they 
expected the numbers to be much bigger, and they must be 
worried that government reforms are chipping at their base. 
 
¶19. (C)  The NCPR's report in September will provide an 
important framing for future debate.  NCPR member Sitiveni 
Halapua told us by phone three weeks ago that he is working 
on the draft report.  He indicated having heard a range of 
views which, overall, still point toward the need for more 
political reform.  As we see it, the need for some political 
"change" is now accepted by all, even the royalty.  The open 
questions are pace and degree.  Halapua said the coming 
effort to educate the public on the Committee's findings will 
be a crucial phase and still needs funding.  We continue to 
believe it important for the USG to provide assistance for 
that media outreach. 
DINGER