Tonga Government

The decision to sack Piveni Piukala was made by Cabinet last Friday, reports Kaniva Tonga News.

A government statement said the grounds for termination included incompetence, acting in bad faith, and failure to follow due process in appointing the chief executive of the Tonga Broadcasting Commission, or TBC.

On Wednesday, the TBC reported the termination followed Mr Piukala's decision to decline a request from the prime minister to suspend three TBC staff members and to investigate them for alleged misconduct.

The ruling was made as part of a legal dispute between the three parties over a debt of US$1.4 million which Hawaiki Cable says it is owed.

According to Kaniva News, the Cable company had wanted the case heard in New Zealand, but the Tongan defendants said Hawaiki Cable required leave to serve proceedings on it in Tonga and argued that New Zealand was not a legally convenient location.

However, both sides chose to approach the case using New Zealand law.

Tonga were named as hosts in 2012 but the Government pulled out in 2017, citing financial concerns.

A reopened bid process ultimately led to Samoa being selected as hosts, with the Games currently ongoing here.

The PGC and Tonga Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee (TASANOC) also launched a civil suit against the Government.

Both have been seeking millions of dollars worth of damages over breach of contract.

The government has been pushing for legislative change that includes a separate agency to appoint judges, the police commissioner and attorney general.

Public consultations show strong support for the status quo, but government spokesperson Lopeti Senituli said the reforms were not about reducing the authority of King Tupou VI.

They are about creating a more democratic agency to make appointments to key posts, he said.

Establishing an independent Judicial Appointments Commission, would replace the current panel made up entirely of members of the Privy Council.

The organisation also provided updates regarding their finances and ongoing civil action against the Tongan Government.

The General Assembly meeting in Samoa saw several presentations from former and upcoming Organising Committees of the Pacific Games and Pacific Mini Games.

The PGC reported a strong financial year for 2017, with income of $460,846 (£347,000/€396,000) having been achieved, rising from the $237,175 (£178,000/€204,000) received in 2016.

This was largely due to all payments from the Vanuatu 2017 Pacific Mini Games being made during the year.

After some delay, the remaining ministers were sworn in last week, with Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva taking the foreign affairs portfolio and noble representative Lord Ma'afu being appointed defence minister.

The Pasifika director at Massey University, Malakai Koloamatangi, said there were a few interesting changes, including a new deputy prime minister, internal affairs minister and an unelected appointee.

King Tupou VI dissolved parliament after the speaker claimed the government was acting unconstitutionally and trying to gather power for itself.

The government of 'Akilisi Pohiva was hampered by controversies during its tenure but managed to survive a vote of no-confidence earlier in the year

Voters will now go to the polls on November 16 and Lopeti Senituli said Mr Pohiva's support had grown through his recent troubles.

The Kingdom won the bid to in 2012 before withdrawing their hosting rights earlier this year due to financial reasons.

Pacific Games Council CEO Andrew Minogue says dealing with Tonga's withdrawal has cost them a lot of money.

"The additional costs that the council has had to incur in going through this process of finding a new host and the damage to the brand and the lost opportunity with potential sponsors and so forth."

PRN reports Minogue believes the Tongan government also owes TASANOC money as a result of the withdrawal.

Mr Pohiva's term as Prime Minister has been shortened by the royal dissolution of parliament which was triggered by claims his government was trying to concentrate power within cabinet by taking over some of the King's appointment authority.

Mr Pohiva argues he was trying to protect the Royal family because the Privy Council, an elite group of advisors, had not given the best advice to His Majesty in the past.

'Akilisi Pohiva is hosting a press conference to respond to details of the reasons behind the dissolution.

The King's actions were sparked by an approach by the Speaker of the House, Lord Tu'ivakano, who claimed the Pohiva government had made a series of unconstitutional moves since coming into office in 2014 and was trying to concentrate power within it.