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TONGA: PRACTICE PARLIAMENT


said that the Practice Parliament was an excellent practice and learning process for her. She felt welcomed in an atmosphere that was accommodating and friendly.


Orientation


An informative two-day orientation programme was held from 7 to 9 April 2014, and was designed to inform and educate the PPW members on the legislative processes and to provide training on the subject matters for the Bills and petitions to be discussed. Leading authorities on subject matters were invited to provide briefings for PPW Members. This was followed by a rehearsal programme that was held inside Parliament House for the purpose of familiarizing the members with the Legislative Assembly’s Chambers, in order to ensure that they were not daunted by the fact that they had to debate in a formal and often formidable setting.


In opening the Practice Parliament, Tonga’s highest political


and traditional leader Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u declared that it was an opportunity to “showcase our parliamentary institution, with its aspirations for a more inclusive and democratic government, as well as its respect for…the rights of the marginalized and the minority”.11


Sessions


From 10 to 11 April 2014 the actual sitting sessions commenced at the Legislative Assembly Chambers in Nuku’alofa.


The event was broadcasted and telecasted live on all radio and television networks in Tonga, thereby being the central focus of the entire electorate for those two days, and generating great awareness overseas as the debates were also streamed live via the internet.


An area in Nuku’alofa known as the Civic Square was reserved during the two days of deliberation that projected live television feeds of the PPW to invited high school students, women’s groups, civil


society and members of the public who wished to watch the live debates from Parliament. Information booths were also set up with a view to widely disseminating information relating to the issue of women participation in politics.


The Agenda


The PPW Working Committee and Secretariat prepared the agenda according to the common recurring issues raised by the 91 women who had applied.


The agenda encouraged healthy, opinionated debates that showcased the women’s talents, debating skills and their first-hand knowledge of important local and international issues.


The issues discussed included but were not limited to issues such as the controversial topic of Temporary Special Measures, and it also encouraged current and live issues that were of valid concern for the constituencies, such as economic, environment and youth issues.


Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (Lord Fakafanua) and Clerk of the House, Gloria Pole’o, (second right) during a press conference with Tongan media, which launched the nationwide public awareness campaign for the Practice Parliament.


Bill


A Bill was drafted that sought to amend the Order in Public Places Act authorizing the closing of bakeries and restaurants on Sunday – a response to numerous applications which called to repeal the Act which had effectively allowed bakeries to open during Sundays as a result of emergency situations following a natural disaster that occurred in 1982. There were strong religious-based arguments that the Sabbath should be kept holy – as provided under clause 6 of the constitution.


The Parliamentarian | 2014: Issue Three | 185


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