BREAKING NEWS: TONGA PM USED WEST PAPUA TO DEFLECT PUBLIC ATTENTION FROM FAILED POWER-GRAB AGAINST KING

Tongan Government sources reveal 
PM 'Akilisi Pohiva's DARK SECRETS

21 September 2017
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
ABCMelanesia

'Akilisi Pohiva, Prime Minister of Tonga

Last month the King of Tonga fired Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva and his entire government and parliament. Pohiva is only staying on as interim PM until elections are held later this year.

The Speaker of Parliament, Lord Tu'ivankō revealed that Pohiva made a number of unconstitutional decisions which included signing international agreements without the consent of the king. 

'Akilisi Pohiva, Prime Minister of Tonga and Lord Tu'ivankō, Speaker of Parliament of Tonga

Sources from the PM's and the Speaker's office revealed the real motivation behind Pohiva's support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) including at the United Nations in 2015 and 2016. 

"It was just a show, not a genuine nor principled reason. It (the public show of support for West Papua) was cunningly designed to draw Tongan public attention away from his own dirty laundry." 

The Speaker further said that Pohiva made a power-grab and attempted to remove the king's power to appoint the attorney-general and police commissioner.

As reported in Newshub, in his defence, Pohiva accused the King's and the Speaker's move to dissolve Parliament "was part of a failed coup and an organised attempt to push him out".

Sources in Port Vila, Vanuatu and Honiara, Solomon Islands understand that the governments of PM Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas and PM Manasseh Sogavare are increasingly frustrated at the Tongan government. 

"PM Pohiva has misled us Melanesians, he has sold his soul to the devil in return for meagre political support." 

Vanuatu Foreign Minister Adviser Charles Lini further said that although Vanuatu is the leader on the issue of West Papua, other countries in the region have no guts for real action. He singled out Tonga in particular because it is an Austronesian country and not a Melanesian one. 

George Tupou V, King of Tonga

Aware of his difficult political situation and vulnerable to hypocrisy attacks, Pohiva is keeping his mouth shut on West Papua and is reported to have instructed his diplomats at the UNGA this week to take a low profile.

ABCMelanesia