Who really knows where Tonga is? So it is not really surprising that the recent parliamentary election held in the islands nation of Tonga at the end of November went unnoticed.
What happens in a remote archipelago nation like Tonga might not raise people’ interest as it often happens also with other tiny nations all over the world.
The election should not be overlooked simply because Tonga is tiny nation in the deep of South Pacific Ocean but before discussing about it, I would like to reflect on the fact that all the international news we read on daily basis either from an international web sites, local dailies or global publications always tend to highlight the same issues like the middle east, the mess in Iraq and neighboring Syria, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the fall of the ruble.
Certainly these are all events of such magnitude that it is impossible to ignore. After all the fate of the mankind depends also on how these crisis are handled and yes there is a lot at stake for example with the radicalization of Islam also in EU countries that have sizeable portions of their citizens with Arabs origin.
But Europe and USA and few other powers should not always be at the center of most of the news. After all if you live far away from the Middle East and Europe, why caring too much about radical Islam?
The truth is that the business of global news is only fixated with the usual issues always revolving the same problems. It is a bit like many commercial radio stations always broadcasting songs based on certain agreements with recording houses. In short we watch and we listen what others want us to watch and listen and you end up likening what others want you to like.
I believe that world would be better if the people living on it were able to know more about different nations and people all around the world. Second we should all dedicate more efforts to the study of geography or what I have already called “World Education”. By knowing a bit of every nation or geographical regions, our vision of the world would be drastically widened up and for better.
Second the election in Tonga are important because Tonga offers a rare example of how an autocratic almost absolutist country is turning democratic. Indeed only in 2010 Tonga had its first democratically elected parliament and at that time the election was much of a work in progress in a long political transition that might conclude tomorrow with the election of the first “commoner” Prime Minister.
Images of Nukuʻalofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga
The political system envisioned after intense negotiations for the 2010 election represented a middle way path between democratic opening and preservation of the status quo.
After all maybe with the exception of Tunisia, we witness that it is preferable to have negotiated reform rather than abrupt revolutions to end absolutistic power. The King of Tonga was no doubt holding this kind of power before 2010.
Now a little of background: Tonga is a monarchy where the King and nobility used to hold absolute power in how to run the country. The democratic opening in 2010 came after violent protests that forced the current King to step down as prime minister and allow the appointment for the first of a non-royal as his replacement.
Tonga is a microcosm but rich of insights on how democracy can emerge and slowly and progressively get strengthened.
The political system is certainly a manifestation of a transition not completed yet: With a total of 26 seats at stake, nine of them represent the aristocracy and the other seventeen represent the “commoners”. The nine seats dedicated to the nobility represent just 33 nobles who are exclusively entitled to run to fill one of the nine seats in the noble quota. On the opposite of the spectrum, the seventeen’s people seats represent 108,000 people.
The system is certainly a compromise and possibly a good one if it can slowly evolve in something that is more representative of its people’s wishes. At the same time Tonga’s democratic evolution shows that there is no “one size fits all” approach to democracy. Democracy represents an array of values that must adapt to local circumstances.
The difficult thing is to strike a balance that does not make a mockery of people’s rights and aspirations while allowing the establishment to come to terms with a new reality without losing everything at once. Political transitions should never be a zero sum game.
In Tonga political parties do exist but are quite weak and never held power before. Among them the most successful and respected is the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands normally referred to as the Democratic Party whose leader is Akilisi Pohiva, an iconic democratic figure throughout the entire pacific region.4
The position of prime minister is not directly elected through an open people suffrage but it is decided upon negotiations and bargaining among the elected nobles, independent elected MPs and the MPs from the political parties who get more seats.
In the last election back in 2010 Pohiva was very close to become the elected prime minister but as the political system is still in its embryonic phase, a coalition between elected nobles and independent MP prevented him from being elected.
This time around he might make it. His party won nine seats plus an additional seat when an independent MP joined their ranks. This should be enough to get Pohiva elected but you never know in politics.
Indeed also this time negotiations and bargaining are going on to elect the new prime minister and tomorrow 29th of December the parliament will convene to elect the new prime minister.
After all democracy is all about last minute bargaining but hopefully a commoner like Pohiva rather than a representative of the nobility will get elected this time.
George Tupou VI, the current king, who ascended to the throne on the death of his elder brother, George Tupou V, in March 2012. seems to endorse the establishment of a more democratic political system.
The election of Pohiva as prime minister will surely help consolidating the transition towards a more representative political system.
Think well, nine MPs representing thirty-three persons versus seventeen MPs representing more than hundred thousand. Yes there is something wrong and unfair in this but Tonga can be a study case on democratic reforms.
After 2006, the then King, the nobles and the people chose the long way to establish a democratic order, the preferred an imperfect compromise rather than a never ending quarreling marred by violence and unrest.
The history will tell us if the “long haul” approach to democracy will reap fruits.
Soon we will know if Tonga moves ahead with a fairer political system able to reconcile traditions with a much higher people’s will.
PS
Tonga is famous for its amazing beaches and a proud rugby national team, the national sport.
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