Tongan Government provides a guide on release of information to the public

A statement issued by the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet, Dr Palenitina Langa'oi assured the people of Tonga that Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva and his Cabinet value transparency, accuracy and the timely release of information to the public, however within the boundaries of the Freedom of Information policy.

Despite the push by government for transparency, there are some legislation and policies in place like the (Public Service legislation, Officials Secrets Act, Communications Act, Freedom of Information Policy, Cabinet Manual) that impose constraints upon the disclosure of information, calling for certain information to be kept confidential, said the government statement. 

This has caused the misconception of government information being suppressed. 

The Tongan Government has provided a guide on what information will be exempted from disclosures. These include the following;   

* Information relating to a sensitive investigation or sensitive matter before Cabinet

* Cabinet submissions and deliberations of Cabinet;

* Court records, excluding post mortems;

* Parliamentary privilege;

* Personal information (births, deaths, employment, taxation and health records) Performance appraisals of public officials is classified as personal and protected from disclosure)

* Information received in confidence (obtained from any other person or authority);

* Information about the security, defense and international relations;

* Information about operational security of Government;

* Communications and correspondences with the Monarchy and the Royal Family (including information held by public bodies);

* Information where communication would cause serious prejudice to:

i)Prevent or detect crime

ii) Apprehend or prosecute offenders

iii)Administer justice

iv) Assess or collect any tax or duty

v)  Operate immigration control

* Information that would cause harm to the health, safety of an individual;

* Information that would significantly prejudice the economic interest of Tonga;

* Internal government correspondences are to be kept confidential;

Any delays in the provision of information to any inquiry are due to:

* The issue (subject of the inquiry) having yet to be finalized; 

* The release of information is often subject to the approval or advice of other authorities especially if this concerns a contested issue;

* Access to information may be denied if the request is considered vexatious or voluminous.

"At the time the current Government came into power, the integral function of disseminating Government information to the public was carried out by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change & Communications (MEIDECC), said Dr Langa'oi 

To facilitate timely and accurate distribution of information, Government announced that the Office of the Prime Minister will only be responsible for inquiries and the release of information relating to the Prime Minister and his initiatives. The Office has assured that it will respond within three days.

For other government ministries, chief executive officers will be responsible for responding to queries from the public regarding his/her Ministry as well as the release of information from their respective Ministry