Tonga's King calls for economic freedom and legacy of Constitution at 150th anniversary

Tonga’s King has emphasised the importance of economic freedom in an “increasingly globalised world” as the Kingdom marks 150 years of its founding constitutional document.

In his speech delivered in Nuku'alofa on Tuesday, King Tupou VI reflected on the visionary leadership of Tupou I and the significance of the 1875 Constitution.

“It was from a trip to Sydney in 1863 that Tupou I saw landless indigenous people, which influenced him to seek protection from this ever happening to Tongans in their own country,” the King says. “He sought protection from Tongans being landless in their own land.”

This year, Tonga celebrates 150 years of its Constitution, one of the oldest in the Pacific, which has remained unchanged since the re-enactment.

Law expert Dr Suliana Mone says the Constitution remains the most significant document in modern Tongan history.

In an interview on Pacific Mornings, Mone described the document as a “book of freedom”, drafted by an English missionary, Shirley Baker, who later became the prime minister.

George Tupou I, originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, was the first king of modern Tonga. Photo/Supplied

Mone notes that the 2010 reforms, which granted the people a stronger voice in government, were a natural and gradual progression reflecting change while preserving Tonga’s cultural foundations.

“How our values are expressed will continue to change and time will tell if this means the Constitution is going to undergo any further transformation. But as a little nation, we take pride in the fact that we were kind of like never really, never colonised by another nation,” Mone says.

Tongan community leader, Pakilau o Aotearoa Manase Lua describes the Constitution as a source of immense pride that continues to define Tongan identity at home and in the diaspora.

The Constitution of Tonga is supreme law under which the Government of Tonga operates. Photo/Supplied

He says the Constitution provided freedom to the commoners, who made up 90 per cent of the population at the time.

“What the Constitution did was free people… Tupou I gave rules to Tonga and that’s love. Who wouldn’t want to have that kind of absolute power?” Pakilau says. “But he did it out of the love for his people, that’s mateaki fonua, that’s mate ma’a Tonga.”

King Tupou VI also mentioned the historical links of the document to legislation from neighbours such as Hawai’i and Tahiti. He credits the protection afforded to Tongans by the Constitution to a responsible Parliament that was responsive to the needs of the Tongan people at that time.

“At that time of colonisation, this was the balancing act required to keep this kingdom free and functional, but perhaps today economic freedom is becoming more important in this increasingly globalised world,” the Monarch says.

The King of Tonga meets Australia's High Commissioner to Tonga, Brek Batley. Photo/Supplied

Despite calling for economic freedom, the King thanked the Kingdom’s development partners, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. He urged the new government to return the grounds of the temporary Parliament to its original owner.

The original building was provided to Tonga by New Zealand in 1982, but was damaged in 2018 by Cyclone Gita.

Work to rebuild the building was further delayed following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption, which caused a tsunami that inundated the site where the old building was situated.

The Kingdom will hold its general elections on 20 November.

For the new legislative building, to be built in Talangaholo on the outskirts of the capital, Nuku’alofa, Parliament must declare the land so construction can begin.

King Tupou XI explains that the site for the new Parliament is “within rifle shot” of an old fort, the last stronghold of rebels who opposed Tupou I during the 19th-century wars of unification.

Watch Dr Suliana Mone and Pakilau o Aotearoa Manase Lua's full interview below.

“Although this land was taken by conquest and force of arms, it is a poignant reminder that every single inch of this country was contested long before there ever was a government,” the King says.

He reiterates his wish that the Constitution continues to be upheld and enacted with the cooperation of the government and parliamentary debate.

“I only wish that we can continue to defend the Constitution of 1875, the Constitution set up by Tupou I, because that vision is still clear and relevant today as it was 150 years ago.”