The King of Tonga bids adieu
The Kingdom of Tonga is a beautiful place. It is also somewhat unique in the region. It is the only sovereign monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, has the distinction of being the only island nation in the region to have avoided formal colonization. Tonga has been ruled by some form of monarchy or Chief from at least the 12th century. All of that history is about to change.
King George Tupou V of Tonga has recently announced that he is giving up many of his powers and will introduce democracy there. This is no forced coup; the 171 island nation is moving on to a more participatory form of government. The current King is reform minded, Oxford educated and Savile Row tailored. I have happy memories of my time in Tonga, but this change is long overdue, and we doff our less well-tailored hat to King George Tupou V of Tonga, and say a heartily ‘well done, Sir’.
The reforms, recommended by the country’s Constitutional and Electoral Commission, would strip King George Tupou V of many of his powers, including the ability to appoint the prime minister and ministers.In addition, ordinary Tongans would be able to elect two-thirds of their political representatives, the Independent reports. Currently the parliament is stacked with nobles, chiefs and supporters of the royal family.Pro-democracy campaigners, who have been fighting for reform for years, welcomed the planned changes. Teisina Fuko, president of the Tongan People's Democratic Party, described it as “marvellous”. He told the paper, “Tonga can now go ahead and develop a political party system like those seen in New Zealand and Australia.”The changes would mark a large shift for Tonga, a former British protectorate consisting of 171 islands dotted across the Pacific Ocean. Under the nation's semi-feudal system, which dates back more than a century, the royal family and aristocracy have always controlled parliament, with the monarch wielding considerable power.
