Lord Fusitu'a

As always, an extremely productive discussion during our regular meeting between His Majesty the King and we the Brethren Lords of the Realm (with myself, Lord Vaha’i, Lord Tuita and Lord Malupo Zooming in from abroad) On today’s agenda - some proposed amendments put forward from the Attorney General, Supervisor of Elections and Privy Council to the Constitution with respect to the residency qualification for candidates and electors (Lords and people alike) and the disqualification of the same, subject to standard court proceedings and/or orders versus the newly proposed “undischarged Bankruptcy Order” or “Receivership”. A healthy debate from the Attorney General and the Supervisor of Elections expanding upon the reasoning for, and defending the basis for, the amendments. In response, some insightful exposition, and thoughtful views and reasoning expounded by we, the Brethren Lords, highlighting some important considerations that needed to be taken into account. At the forefront of the Brethren Lords’ concerns were- Anticorruption considerations via the possible misuse of the amendments by candidates owing unpaid moneys under court orders to be elected under the proposed amendments - and paid by people’s taxes, only to be later disqualified due to bankruptcy or receivership. At which point the country’s resources have already been misused by payment to the now disqualified candidate. As always - opened and closed with a prayer. And with the Brethren Lords voiced as one - Long Live the King. 🇹🇴👊🏽⚔️🛡️👑🛡️⚔️👊🏽🇹🇴 (at Royal Palace, Tonga) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWxSO1v84T/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Continued… 2) Then what I felt was our first victory in came in 2019, when in response to an audience and briefing provided - His Majesty handed down a Royal Command that the Anticorruption Commission be established as provided for by the 2007 Act and that the government make the budget allocations for it. The government of that day ignored the Royal Command and never implemented His Majesty’s command but our second victory came when:- 3) In 2020 I was extremely grateful that 🇹🇴 finally via Justice Minister in the Tu’i’onetoa government my colleague, Sam Vaipulu signed onto the Teieniwa Vision which is the GOPAC Oceania Pacific road map for UNCAC and announced at the meeting in Kiribati on 5 February 2020 that Tonga 🇹🇴 would accede to UNCAC and on the very next day the 6 of February our Ambassador in New York handed up the documents to the UN Secretariat acceding to UNCAC coming into law in Tonga on 7 March 2020. 4) Then finally in early 2023 the current PM has announced that this government will be establishing our Anticorruption Commission and Commissioner with a full budget to be allocated to it in this year’s budget. And so we’ve come full circle advocating through 5 Governments to achieve UNCAC ratification and the establishment of the Commission it has all been completely worthwhile and I look forward to Tonga 🇹🇴 improving our position on the World Corruption/Anticorruption Indices. 2/2 https://www.instagram.com/p/CpisPxXSFLe/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I am very glad to be virtually attending our 2023 Parliamentary Dialogue on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (aka UNCAC the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument) coinciding with our Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) Annual General Meeting in Doha, Qatar. And to have been invited as the Chairman of the Gopac Secretariat Global Task Force (GTF) on UNCAC to speak on the Panel for: "UNCAC at 20 Years On: Roles of Parliament" Where I was able to elucidate on Tonga’s 🇹🇴journey from 2007 and the enactment of the Anticorruption Commissioner Act, and my journey over 16 years including Parliamentary advocacy through 5 different governments to achieve UNCAC accession and establishment of the Commission. Working unwavered by successive governments unwilling to implement the Act or accede to UNCAC:- 1) In 2015 myself and another colleague put a motion to Parliament which was adopted unanimously for Tonga 🇹🇴 to have a parliamentary Standing Committee on Anti-Corruption, the first of its kind in the Pacific. With the assistance of UNDP Pacific and UNODC SE Asia/Pacific, capacity building was done that enabled the Committee to train MPs and to achieve milestones such as: (i) Implement a gap analysis with the Ombudsman’s Office updating our laws to comply with UNCAC; (ii) redraft the Parliamentary House Rules to provide for explicit inclusion of GOPAC and its Terms of Reference in the Rules, ensuring both UNCAC and other international best practices would always be required of the Committee and by extension the Legislature; (iii) most significantly, due to no government being willing to establish the Commission we amended the House Rules to give the Chairman and the Committee all the powers of the Commissioner and the Commission in order that 🇹🇴not be left in limbo without an anticorruption structure and arbiter. 1/2 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpir3DZyQ8w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Every year on this day, so many distinct and meaningful scriptures remind and inspire me. This one hits me the minute I wake up every year on this day:- "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it"Psalm 118:24 And when I sit up to give my morning intercessions, these scriptures all come flooding in - "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come" Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭25 And always this one - “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” Proverbs 31:29 And above all this one - "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 And because of that, it is on this day that I try my best to - “Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate” Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭31‬ Why? Because it was on this day 82 years ago today that God blessed this world with the effervescent life force that is my darling mother - Eseta Fuofolau-Vakapuna-'A-Ngu Fusitu'a (Ńeè Fulivai) Eseta Fusitua So it is to that end that I want to take this opportunity to wish my best girl and the first woman I ever loved - my mum - the happiest birthday today. We love you so much mum and although in doing my best, I may not yet have lived up to my promise to Dad to take care of you to the standard that he did. I hope you know how much we love you. From Dad at Mala'e 'Aloa and I in Auckland, from Fuafolau Fusitu'a Tuipeatau and Tuipeatau Anthony in Canberra, and all our children, your grandchildren. Tiana Mill Logan Fusitu'a And from your NZ children who care for you so much each day and all your NZ grandchildren - We hope you have the happiest birthday today mum. We love you beyond words and thank the Lord daily and count our blessings, that he's bestowed us with the greatest blessing of another year with you. We love you mum. 🙏🏽😘🥰❤️ Love, Nua Ko e fefine ‘oku ‘apasia kia Sihova, Ko eni ia ‘e fakamālō‘ia. Tuku hano ‘inasi mei he fua ‘o hono nima, Pea ke ne ma‘u fakamālō ‘i he ngaahi matanikolo, ‘I he ngaahi me‘a kuo ne fai.” PALŌVEPI‬ ‭31‬:‭25‬-‭31‬ https://www.instagram.com/p/CpMIXRgvgrL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

On 14 December 1903 Man made the first realistic attempt at flight when the Wright brothers attempted to fly the Wright Flyer for the first time at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Despite this important historical event it pales compared to the most significant reason that today is important and that it was the day you were born #MyBabySpartan2, my one and only beautiful boy @fremch.fry Thanks to your mum @treychin for your party & for being your rock for all these years. I hope you LOVED the surprise party threw for you. You are my only son, my Leonidas Junior and I love you dearly. From Nana and I and all the family here - Happiest Birthday son, may the Lord shine His countenance upon you always. Love you heaps, Dad A few thoughts that your Grandfather always loved and which he instilled in me and I hope to in you. That whatever you do in life these tenets will stand you in good stead. "If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son" "If", Rudyard Kipling MASSIVE IMPORTANT PS: As IMPORTANT as ALL OF THE ABOVE is that today is also the birthday of mine and @raewynv’s baby sister @fuafolautuipeatau You were always Dad's favourite and he loved you so much and so dearly it was always going to be a momentous task for anyone to keep looking after you the way he did. But you found someone who was up to the task. I hope he - Toni @koulohaapai and the kids Wiki, Teta, Adventure and Watiman spoil you heaps today darls. Mum and I and all the family love you heaps. Happiest Birthday Gaboogs, Nua (at Sparta, Niua Fo'ou) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmIbsIUvxa8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In my capacity as Chairman of Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) Oceania it was my honour, privilege and pleasure to officially open our GOPAC Oceania Biennial General Meeting (BGM) whereby our office holders are put to election again and where I have been unanimously re-elected and reappointed as Chairman of GOPAC Oceania. It has been my honour to serve for the past four years and I look forward to continuing to doing so. My Welcome Address: "GOPAC Oceania Biennial General Meeting Welcome 🇹🇴 Welcome to all GOPAC Oceania parliamentarians and observers to the Biennial General Meeting of GOPAC Oceania, As Chair I am delighted to welcome you all to Wellington and to this wonderful setting of the Legislative Council Chamber of the Parliament of New Zealand. As Chair, I'd like to thank GOPAC NZ Co-Chairs Hon. Stuart Smith and Dr Deborah Russell for hosting us in their Parliament, To UNODC for again partnering with GOPAC Oceania in a number of parliamentary activities since our last BGM two years ago and for sponsoring the CDF Conference that concluded at lunchtime today. The CDF Pacific Toolkit being produced by GOPAC and UNODC will be an invaluable resource for parliamentarians around the world. I also thank UNDP Papua New Guinea for their assistance in bringing parliamentarians from PNG, and we are looking forward to establishing a new GOPAC PNG Chapter in the very near future. I also wish to thank Julie Haggie and her team at Transparency International NZ for their assistance as the secretariat to GOPAC NZ and also to GOPAC Oceania's Executive Officer, Katrina Montaût for managing our administrative affairs. I now defer to GOPAC Secretary John Hyde to chair in person the remainder of this BGM. John, the floor is yours" https://www.instagram.com/p/CliWxaYuhGK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In my capacity as Chairman of GOPAC Oceania it was my honour, privilege and pleasure to officially open this morning our “GOPAC Oceania Workshop on Regional Anti-Corruption Trends: Constituency Development Funds and Anti-Money Laundering” occurring over the new two days, November 28-29, 2022 in the Grand Hall, Parliament of New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand. It was my pleasure to invite and be able to bring over my successor as Chairman of the Tongan Parliament Standing Committee on Anticorruption, Dr ‘Uhilamoelangi Fasi and our staff member Mrs Melemanu Bloomfield who is invaluable to the Lords in Parliament. I look forward to all attending to have an informative and productive meeting. My Welcome Address: “Honourable MPs, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I am Lord Fusitu'a and it is my honour to serve as Chairman of GOPAC Oceania. In that capacity I would firstly like to acknowledge:- The Hon. Adrian Rurawhe, Hon. Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, GOPAC New Zealand Co-Chair Stuart Smith as official host; Our esteemed GOPAC International Chair H.E. Dr. Ali bin Fetais Al Marri; Bernadette Cavanagh, Deputy Secretary International and Development Group at MFAT. As always GOPAC Oceania wishes to thank: Mrs Marie Pegie Cauchois, Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser, Pacific , UNODC for partnering with GOPAC for the Conference, hosting the Conference dinner and producing the new GOPAC-UNODC CDF Toolkit; We thank Ms Alma Sedlar, Chief Technical Adviser (Anti-Corruption), UNDP Papua New Guinea for sponsoring MPs and officials from PNG We also thank Ms Julie Heggie, from Transparency International New Zealand, the Secretariat to GOPAC NZ, for their ongoing assistance to make this conference a reality. Finally and most importantly l, I welcome my brother and sister Parliamentarians from the Pacific, and our parliamentary officials, our Chief Ombudsmen, Ombudsmen,, Leadership Commissioners and other integrity officials. I hereby open our GOPAC Oceania Workshop on Regional Anti-Corruption Trends: Constituency Development Funds and Anti-Money Laundering and wish you all a productive and informative meeting” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cleuyv_hVLq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

So glad my lil brother Porge Lepuha was able to make it all the way to #MySparta in Niua Fo’ou. Thank you for your UNDP work brother and glad my two Matani’s and #MySpartans of Faletanu were able to show you hospitality. Thank you bro for their gifts and I’ve spoken to them today and they send their love. I also thank my brother Porge, now in Vava’u en route back to Tongatapu for this. Arriving in Vava’u he went straight to Funga Manono to pay our respects to our beloved niece Tu’imala who was taken so unfairly and terribly from us all too soon. And whose memory we honour by working to ensure the circumstances surrounding her passing were correctly investigated. I was glad also he was able to pay our respects to Tu’imala’s father, our cousin, Lord Fulivai (Mapilivai) and importantly to our great grandfather, the legend - Lord Fulivai (‘Ikinesiasi ‘Ignatius’ Tupou) Love your work Porge, Malo e si’i ngaue, ofa lahi atu ki ho ki’i mata 💪🏽😘❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/ClaLwwpP5Nn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=