Tongan electoral commission proposes new govt system

okk...so SURF & DA MAN wat u 2 think shall we have a go at this one again? LOL

felemea wrote:

okk...so SURF & DA MAN wat u 2 think shall we have a go at this one again? LOL

Just O for awesome. lol

Very well Felemea, as you've stated earlier and I agree,(We) I am NOT an expert on these things either. But hopefully, us sharing opinions on these issues would shed some light.

Any news of reform proposals is better than no news at all my friend. Although there are hundreds of questions and concerns still, at least the child is taking his/her first step!!!

1. IAW with Matangi Tonga (as proposed by the Reform Commission), "... the Cabinet will become the executive government, accountable to the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly will be accountable to the electorates, who will elect 17 of a 26-members parliament. The nobles will continue to elect their 9 representatives."

Questions:
Why do nobles elect their own and not put them all up to be elected by the qualified citizens (old enough to vote) as the other 17?
Why stress different classes (nobles, commoners, etc.,) in government?
Why are the nobles immune from the electorate vote?
Wouldn't that create more frictions in government?
In my opinion, the government should be blind to whatever class of society. Other than their chiefly titles, they are no more qualified than the average Joe.

Matangi Tonga: The King will retain his power to appoint one of the nobles' representatives in the assembly as Speaker of the House, and the King will still have the privilege to withhold his assent to laws and to dissolve the Legislative Assembly at his pleasure.

Why the King?
Why not let the Assembly vote who is to be Speaker of the House?
...the king has the privilege to dissolve the Legislative Assembly at his pleasure???..
WOW!!! This is very dangerous if you ask me!!! He (king) was never stripped of power in the first place then???

King to be still Commander-in-Chief??? Oh! I forgot, the PM is a puppet!!!

I don't recall reading about any term limits? I think ten to twelve years is more than enough for any cabinet, assembly, etc., member to serve. Do away with all these lifers in government. Otherwise, the longer they serve, the more powerful they think they are, and eventually lead to more corruptions.

Matangi Tonga: The irony of the situation is that one important issue that the House agreed on was for government not ratifying the CEDAW convention, and even the Commission did not think it was necessary to have seats allocated for women in the House, even though there are seats allocated for the nobles.

Another WOW!!! What are the "boys" afraid of? I didn't read any reasoning(s) as to why CEDAW was not approved???
Why is not necessary for women to have seats in the house?
Who is more qualified to address women issues than another woman?
Why not split the nine (9), five for nobles and four for women? Wouldn't that a bit fair for the women?
Sounds like there's no equal voice of representation anytime soon???

Humor: If I were the leader of the women's movement, I will call for all women in Tonga that there will be NO MORE SEX for these "boyz" until they changed their attitude. hahaha Wouldn't that be something to think about? LOL

Your turn Felemea!!!... Malo

Commission pessimistic over ability of Assembly to meet 2010 election deadline
Nuku'alofa, Tonga: The eagerly awaited final report of Tonga's Constitutional and Electoral Commission released this week, contains some 80 recommendations on how to structure a new system of government for Tonga. While there are no surprises, the Commission does voice a concern over an apparent lack of understanding of its aims and the actual contents of its reports by some of the members of the House, who will be trusted with making the final decision on the new structure

I hope "voicing" these concerns will eventually be written down or recorded and saved as official government records. Hence, the people will know exactly who are for reforms, and of course do something about the bums that are still against.

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master"... George Washington

What will it take for this "lack" of understanding by some members of the House, for them to be "filled" with wisdom??? Stuff their pockets again and again or more beneficial deals under the table for them to fully understand the aims and contents of the reform proposals???

"If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con' what is the opposite of 'progress'???" Paul Harvey... Good day!!!

SURF808 wrote:

Humor: If I were the leader of the women's movement, I will call for all women in Tonga that there will be NO MORE SEX for these "boyz" until they changed their attitude. hahaha Wouldn't that be something to think about? LOL
Your turn Felemea!!!... Malo

okkk so much info to take in after the weekend but i'll try lol!..unlike u guys i don't have unlimited access to the net so bare with me cos im doing this on my break @work to relax haha..so here goes
points well taken SURF but sorry to say you're not the first to ask, criticized or demand an answer for these questions but m afraid the only answer i got for u my fren is this word and all it stands for...MONARCHY..and no matter how we hate or love it, it's there and unless change in whatever form it may come overpowers that, sorry mate, the nobles will still elect their reps, the king will still do as he wishes, different classes will still be a big deal and so on..so unless change or reform will be carry out in the most honest and transparent way for the benefit of all people then it'll just be another loose loose situation for us. I know some think the king's got way too much power and is unfair in his rule at times but so is corruption and bad leadership in the opposition...as for the CEDAW issue m proud to say for all to know that i agree and support the parliament not singing that, in this case it is my belief and experience (as a sister, a mother, a wife and a woman in the workforce)who've never been subjected to abuse or discrimination regarding this matter, and i have no wish to see same sex marriages or abortion openly approved here no offense to one and all.....
as for the above statement, m afraid it may build up some strong and powerful tensions with these boys that causes the powerful urge for release that may lead to the total destruction of nuku'alofa hahahaha

Felemea,

I'm sure all the questions will be answered in due time, knowing full well it's not an easy process when someone's livelihood will be affected by the reforms.

As for CEDAW's movement, instead of striking it out completely, they should have tabled it while negotiating. I too, am in full support of pro-life, NO same sex marriage, and few other issues that are counter to our conservative beliefs and ideals.

I still support their push for representation in the Legislative Assembly though!!! If it requires all of King Solomon's wives and concubines to temporarily shut down his mines, I'm sure it will only speed up the process without another riot!!! LOL

After all, to release such pressures, these ladies can always pass out mini bottles of Vaselines for the boys to use, don't you think??? hahaha LOL

Change is moving slow but it's moving forward step by step ... Like u said... maga tha ua tolu pea toki lue... eikai totolo be pea lele.... ka oho o fkvave e liliu tetau ofiofi I fisi.....

change is upon us at this very minute live on the radio.....not that i get most of wat's going on but it's ON

felemea wrote:

change is upon us at this very minute live on the radio.....not that i get most of wat's going on but it's ON

Coach, you shouldn't be missing out too much my man!!! There's already a wind of change blowing and you should be sailing in the midst and enjoying the sunshine...

SURF808 wrote:

<quoted text>
Coach, you shouldn't be missing out too much my man!!! There's already a wind of change blowing and you should be sailing in the midst and enjoying the sunshine...

the wind blows two ways but one still feels it on one's face....come forth thy fair wind and be gentle with this humble mind...

felemea wrote:

<quoted text>
the wind blows two ways but one still feels it on one's face....come forth thy fair wind and be gentle with this humble mind...

The winds of change are gonna blow you away,
Seek the centre of the storm each day.
The winds of change are gonna tear you apart,
Find the silence of the peaceful heart.

I don't know who said those lines, but I find them appropriate and soothing. I've added my two cents worth for encouragement:

It's an uphill undertaking to fully fathom these reforms,
Finding the center is temporary relief from the storm,
Such reforms are often violent and not easy to please,
Seek God in prayers and your heart will be at peace.