TONGA DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT URGES QUICK REFORMS

PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

TONGA DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT URGES QUICK REFORMS
Worried that delay may lead to further violence

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, Nov. 30, 2009) - A democracy Member of Parliament in Tonga says the Government should immediately endorse a report on democratic reforms to ensure there is not more violence in the country.

Akilisi Pohiva and his co-chair on the People’s Committee for Political Reform, fellow MP Uliti Uata, say, despite not agreeing with all of it, they are willing to accept the Constitutional and Electoral Commission’s report, and so should the Government.

The MPs say it’s important every sector of society embraces the report in full so that the reform process remains peaceful.

They say it would also be a token of respect to King George Tupou V for his role as the architect of peaceful political change.

The two MPs say if the reforms are not supported there could be more violence, such as the riots of three years ago, which they say, erupted because of the opposition of the Government to the Prince Tu’ipelehake report on democratic change.

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