Lord Ma’afu returns to Cabinet after reconciliation with PM

The king’s noble who stepped down from Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva’s cabinet in early March has been reinstated.

Lord Ma’afu resigned as Tonga’s Minister of Lands and Survey as well as Minister of His Majesty’s Armed Forces, two days after the Minister of Police Māteni Tapueluelu resigned on February 28.

Pōhiva rejected Tapueluelu’s resignation.

The reinstatement of Lord Ma’afu came after what the Prime Minister’s office has described as a reconciliation meeting Wednesday.  

The meeting was attended by Tapueluelu,  Lord Ma’afu and the Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, the Prime Minister’s media advisor Lōpeti Senituli told Kaniva News.

Senituli said Pōhiva was seeking a reconciliation between Lord Ma’afu and Tapueluelu after what appears to be a clash emerged in cabinet in February which had led to the two ministers tendering their resignation.

Senituli said the two ministers had reconciled and Lord Ma’afu accepted an invitation by the Prime Minister to return to cabinet.

 Tapueluelu said the Prime Minister has written to the king withdrawing his letter of revocation of Lord Ma’afu’s ministerial post appointment.