Radio Australia's Bruce Hill fail to confront racism in Tonga

Radio Australia "Pacific Beat" Bruce Hill is in Tonga and interviewed populist politician 'Akilisi Pohiva but did not raise with him the mere fact that 'Akilisi is portraying himself as a defender of human rights and is secretary of the Friendly Islands Human Rights and Democracy Movement which is funded from New Zealand; yet is more commonly associated in Tonga with slurring the Asian community here. The Pohiva family owned newspaper, Kele'a, once reported that the Chinese here go to the beach on Sunday. But surprise! surprise! the Kele'a employees were caught working on Sunday without the necessary permit. Then editor Tavake Fusimalohi informed the world of the unfair treatment meted out to them. Bruce is either trying to please Mr. Pohiva or is just too foolish; an illness that seem to infect other so-called Pacific correspondents.   

Dirty politics in Tonga

There has so far been one case of drty politicking in the run up to Tonga's first ever democratic election on November 25. The Kele'a, a tabloid-style newspaper that is owned by the director of the Friendly Islands Human Rights and Democracy Movement, has accused one candidate of dancing one night without underpants. The paper's source is someone who dranked kava. Anyone who has been high on kava knows what the beverage can do to your senses. The candidate denies the story and claims to have more witnesses on his side. The Kele'a in its latest issue is waving the race card. It is scaremongering at its worst, "In future we will become labourers to these foreigners [Chinese]. Our descendants will be economic prisoners." Not bad for a paper that is owned by someone who is paid by the Christian World Service of New Zealand to promote human rights in Tonga!

Tongan government acts funny

With democratic election in November this year the Tongan has acted strangely in the past few months. According to newspaper reports it has suspended the issuing of licenses for opening new retail shops to foreigners The retail industry is thriving and right now dominated by the Asian community, mostly Chinese. They open early and close very late at night. On the other hand the buses which are all owned and operated by Tongans stop by late afternoon. On Saturday nights it is not easy to get a taxi. They too are operated by Tongans. The squash industry, where the growers were Tongans and the exporters also Tongans, is now almost non-existent. Most of the small squash farmers still owe lots of money to the Tonga Development Bank. They blame the exporters. No Asians there unless you count the Japanese market. One hundred meters from the Tongan prime minister's residence is a clinic for sick vehicles that is managed by a "motor mechanic" cum magician. I complained to the Ministry of Commerce after this Tongan thoroughly messed up my van. I am still waiting for them to act. Last week I met someone who is also looking for the same guy and is owed more than $1,000. And I have heard of other horror stories about the same magician but he has fled to Vava'u where apparently he continues to practise his craft. The moral to the story is if you are Tongan and cheat but you stay near the PM's house you will get away with it. Lately the Ministry of Revenue has seized, according to a spokeswoman, DVDs from China because of among other things copyright infringements. That has to be the worst joke of the year.

Human rights fraud in Tonga

The Friendly Islands Human Rights and Democracy Movement (FIHRDM), of Tonga, and is generously funded by the Christian World Service from New Zealand is not a genuine human rights organization. Take for instance the riot in November 2006, that evening as Asian owned businesses counted their losses the secretary and deputy chairperson of the FIHRDM declared victory on radio. In 2000 following the George Speight coup in Fiji, the FIHRDM launched its own media campaign against the Asians here which led to verbal abuse and damage to property in that community. The FIHRDM members of parliament once backed a proposal in the House to restrict the awarding of medical scholarships to meritorious women candidates. Lately only one FIHRDM MP voted in favour of ratifying CEDAW. If the FIHRDM is fighting for human rights here in Tonga then Adolf Hitler must have been a champion of the rights of Jews. One job that this organization does every year is write a report on the state of human rights in Tonga to be read by some useless idiots in NZ. I challenge the FIHRDM to contradict this.