New Visitor Focus: Tonga (January 2007)

The Kingdom of Tonga is both what you would expect of a South Pacific island nation and many things you might not. Located on the eastern edge of the Indo-Australian Plate where it meets the Pacific Plate along a ridge known as the " Ring of Fire," remnant volcanos and subsequent coral polyps give Tonga some 176 islands in four groups.

The southernmost group, Tongatapu, is the commercial, political and cultural center of the Kingdom and the home of the capital, Nuku'alofa, home to about a quarter of Tonga's population of about 115,000 citizens - a mix of ethnic Polynesians and transplanted Europeans. In addition to Nuku'alofa, the Tongatapu group boasts twelve of the other fifteen Tonga towns with populations in excess of one thousand. Tonga's best resort, according to most travel websites, is the Fafa Island Resort on a tiny island minutes from Nuku'alofa.

About eighty miles north of the Tongatapu group lies the Ha'apai group, known as a Mecca for divers and fishermen. The majority of the population of the Ha'apai group lives in Pangai on the island of Lifuka. Another eighty miles north on Ha'apai is the jewel of Tonga - the Vava'u group, Tonga's sailing center where hundreds of sailboats frequently dot the harbor of Neiafu, the kingdom's second largest city (3,500). Finally, a small fourth group - the Niuas, consisting of three volcanic islands administered from Nuku'alofa - lies over 300 miles from the capital.

In all, Tonga is comprised of 176 islands, only 36 of which are inhabited. Many are surrounded by white sand beaches and beautiful coral reefs. Being further south, Tonga's climate is more moderate than some tropical island nations. Less visited than Fiji or French Polynesia, Tonga is nonetheless a remarkable destination for those who want to get away from it all.

What makes Tonga truly unique, however, is its dominant Christian culture and its feudal economy. The Christian culture is most evident on Sundays, when businesses are closed by law and the majority of the population attends church services marked by choral singing. In addition, laws dictate other aspects of the culture. For example, men may not appear in public without a shirt and women must always be fully clothed, even when swimming. Tonga is ruled by its hereditary monarchy dating back to 1875 and a tiny nobility. All property is owned by the monarchy and administered by the nobility, which parcels out land to the "commoners." These two dominant elements are symbolically combined in the Tonga national anthem:

Until very recently, Tonga was described as having a very "stable constitutional monarchy," but there are apparent problems in paradise. While virtually 100% of Tongans are literate, the average income is about $4,000 U.S., and only half of Tongans participate in the cash economy (the others living at a subsistence level). A substantial number of Tongans have left for New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, and remittances from these expatriates, combined with external aid, keep Tonga afloat economically. An increasingly young population (median age is 20.7 years), a double-digit unemployment rate, and high poverty figures are certain signs of growing problems.

The Tongan government has the typical three branches - executive, legislative and judicial, but it is thoroughly controlled by the king. The legislature consists of thirty-two seats, fourteen of which are royal appointees and nine are nobles. Only nine seats are popularly elected. Furthermore, the judges on the Supreme Court are also royal appointments. A growing call for increased democracy lay largely dormant under King Taufa'ahua Tupou IV, but he was succeeded upon his death in 2006 by his son, George Tupou V, an apparent ambitious dilettante playboy who, for most of his fifty-eight years, has been more interested in lining his own pockets. Educated in New Zealand and England, he has lost touch with his nation. An article in the New Zealand Herald ("The madness of King George of Tonga") shortly after his September coronation details the concerns held by many Tongans.

On November 16, 2006, following the legislature's failure to act on calls for increased democracy, crowds took to the streets of Nuku'alofa. The ensuing riot led to six deaths and significant damage to 60-80% of the business district. The Tongan government declared marshall law and solicited military assistance from New Zealand and Australia. Within a couple of days, calm had returned to Nuku'alofa, but the situation is clearly still simmering and King George V seems ill-equipped to deal with the crisis. In a deeply Christian nation, patience may extend longer but not forever. South Pacific political observers generally suggest that the solution needs to maintain the traditional Tongan monarchy while instituting measured but meaningful democratic reforms.

One can only hope that rational leadership will prevail in this beautiful island nation before destabilizing forces do more serious damage.

Welcome Tongan!
Explore tourism in Tonga (although it may not be the ideal time to be planning a trip)
Source: CIA World Factbook at www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/