Continued delay in Cabinet appointments highlights shortcomings in democratic reform

Kaniva commentary: As the delay in confirming the appointment of Cabinet Ministers stretches into another month, some citizens may fear they are being punished for wanting to live in a fully functioning democracy.

The delay in the appointments has the potential to disrupt the smooth functioning of government.

It is now several months since Prime Minister Hu‘akavameiliku submitted his list of Cabinet Ministers to King Tupou VI for approval.

One Cabinet post has been vacant for a year.

The law stipulates that the Prime Minister must nominate his Cabinet ministers and submit their names to the king to have their appointments confirmed. There is no timeframe for the king to sign off on the positions.

We asked the Prime Minister last week if he had received any response to his submission on July 6 and are awaiting a response.

The Prime Minister is currently filling in as Police Minister while he awaits approval for his nomination.

The Minister of Fisheries post has been vacant since former Minister Sēmisi Fakahau died in October 2022.

The apparent lack of action at the palace reflects the king’s uneasy relationship with previous governments.

READ MORE:

• Months gone, PM still awaits king’s approval of new proposed Cabinet ministers

• Tonga’s constitution costly, poorly written and undemocratic, report says

• King moderates language, but still unhappy with Parl’t; criticises Ministry of Public Enterprise

In 2017, the king dissolved the Parliament in an attempt to oust Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva and his Cabinet, but it became clear that he had no power under the constitution to dismiss the Cabinet. According to the constitution, his power is restricted to the Legislative Assembly only. He had the power to close Parliament, but the government continued to function.

The late Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa claimed in an interview with Kaniva News that the king did not meet regularly with Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva because he was unhappy with ‘Akilisi.

In 2021 the king shocked the nation by questioning the honesty of the members of parliament and their ability to run the government. He also chastised the Tu’i’onetoa government for its involvement in businesses and failing to complete its annual ministerial reports on time.

The delays highlight the unfinished nature and often controversial of the 2010 democratic reforms. Constitutional expert Peter Pursglove, who was brought in to look at the kingdom’s constitution by the Commonwealth Secretariat, submitted a report in 2014 recommending ways to update and improve the political system.

As we reported in 2018, nothing was ever done.

Had the constitution been fully revised and all the recommended changes caried out, we might have avoided the current situation.