Walk-out

There have been a series of walk outs from parliament over the past week as the government tries to push through six bills under urgency.

The opposition, mostly made up of nobles, has asked Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva to explain why the bills are urgent.

This comes after a series of petitions to King Tupou VI calling for Mr Pohiva to be removed, and Massey University's Malakai Koloamatangi, himself a Tongan, says it is a very serious situation for the country.

Kaniva News reported the Chair of the Whole House Committee refused to bring the work of the committee into parliament so that a motion by Noble MP, Lord Nuku, could be tabled.

Nuku insisted that the House should discuss how a public consultation on six new government bills should be conducted.

However, the chair reiterated what Speaker Lord Fakafanua earlier told the House, that the parliament had no right to make any decision on how the government should conduct its consultations.