TONGA NAT'L COMMITTEE CHAIR BLAMES PM SEVELE FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SUVA 000508

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID TN
SUBJECT: TONGA NAT'L COMMITTEE CHAIR BLAMES PM SEVELE FOR
RIOT ATMOSPHERE

REF: SUVA 507 (AND PREVIOUS)

Classified By: Amb. Dinger. Sec. 1.4 (B,D).

Summary
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1. (C) According to Sitiveni Halapua, the Chairman of Tonga's
National Committee on Political Reform (NCPR),and a person
whose instinct is always to find the middle ground, much of
the blame for the atmosphere that led to last week's riot in
Nuku'alofa rests on the shoulders of Prime Minister Sevele.
Halapua figures Sevele did at least three things very wrong:
he put forward an alternative reform proposal, outside the
NCPR framework, thus sowing confusion. He moved the action
from Parliament to Cabinet, probably hoping to evade street
pressure from pro-democracy elements, thereby raising alarms.
His security forces had no plan in place to deal with a
major demonstration/riot. Halapua said Sevele no longer has
the confidence of the people, so he should be replaced.
Halapua urges the international community to help keep
attention focused on all-important political reform. End
summary.

Halapua takes sides: blames PM Sevele for Tonga mess
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2. (C) Sitiveni Halapua, head of the Pacific Island
Development Program (PIDP) at the East West Center in
Honolulu, has been a member of Tonga's NCPR for the past
year. When Prince Tu'ipelehake died last July, Halapua
became chair of the NCPR. His instinct is always to be a
mediator, not to take sides. However, in an interview with a
New Zealand reporter this week, Halapua placed blame on Tonga
PM Sevele for the circumstances that led to a riot last
Thursday (reftel) which left central Nuku'alofa devastated.
Halapua is presently in Auckland, where we spoke with him by
phone.

Sevele skirted the framework, causing confusion
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3. (C) Halapua accepts that pro-democracy elements must bear
"some degree of responsibility" for the riot, but he believes
it was actions of PM Sevele that incited the uproar. Halapua
said the big achievement of the NCPR process was to create a
framework for reform, within which there could be
constructive debate about details. All sides, even
pro-monarch conservatives, were happy. A sense of calm, of
relief, was engendered. Pro-democracy leaders, especially
Akilisi Pohiva, didn't get all that they wanted, but they
accepted the framework and agreed to work within it. PM
Sevele, on the other hand, insisted on putting forward an
alternative proposal, outside the NCPR framework. Halapua
said this "caused confusion in the people." It also "opened
a flood gate," causing pro-democracy activists to put forward
their own counter-proposal outside the framework.

Shifting from Parliament to Cabinet
--------------

4. (C) When the competing proposals caused Parliamentary
deliberations to grind to a halt last week, a Parliamentary
leader phoned Halapua, asking him to put together terms of
reference for discussions to find a way out. The
Parliamentary leader said the only other option was to close
down Parliament for the year. Halapua urged that Parliament
stay in session, since "you can't shove this under a mat."
He asked Sevele and pro-democracy leaders Pohiva, Clive
Edwards, and others to withdraw their non-framework
proposals so there could be a fresh start. Sevele and
Edwards agreed. Pohiva wanted to discuss a few details. On
Thursday, the day of the riot, PM Sevele called a Cabinet
meeting, which in Halapua's view "deliberately shut down"
Parliament. It moved the reform issue from the proper forum,
Parliament, to Cabinet, which the King and PM control.
Still, Pohiva went to the Cabinet and gained agreement on a
political compromise. While that was being put into writing,
the riot exploded.

Demonstration captured by criminal elements?
--------------

5. (C) Halapua said that his sources in Tonga have told him
elements of the pro-democracy movement had plans for a big
demonstration if the Government voted down the
NCPR/pro-democracy agenda in Parliament. The aim was to
pressure Government, but within the context of democracy.
Halapua expects it was to avoid such pressure that Sevele
steered the issue away from Parliament to Cabinet. Halapua
speculates that criminal elements got involved with the crowd
of political demonstrators. (Note: some have suggested in
the media that business interests who recently have opposed

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the PM's stated intention to clean up Tonga Customs could
have encouraged the riot. Another rumor circulating is that
deportees from abroad, including the U.S., were active in the
violence.)

Halapua: Sevele failed Tonga; must be replaced
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6. (C) In Halapua's view, Sevele failed Tonga on several
counts. By putting forward his alternative reform proposal
outside the NCPR framework, he sowed confusion. By moving
consideration of reform from Parliament to Cabinet, he raised
alarms in the street. By not having a "Plan B" in place for
the contingency of a major disturbance, the Government was
not ready to deal with criminals. In order to "put right"
the atmosphere for rebuilding Tonga, Halapua has concluded
that Sevele must go.

Important: keep focus on political reform
--------------

7. (C) It disturbs Halapua that Sevele and the Tonga
Government now seem to be focusing all attention on the
looters -- "all condemn such acts" -- and on reconstruction
activities. Halapua believes strongly that the real issue
remains political leadership and the need for reform. In
Halapua's view, Sevele no longer has the confidence of the
people, and he lacks competence to deal with Tonga's problems.

Comment
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8. (C) Halapua was not in Tonga last week when all hell broke
loose. However, he is a Tongan himself and he has immersed
himself for the past year in Tonga's current political
adventure. He has heard from many Tongans from all aspects
of the spectrum. Thus, his views bear consideration. A key
judgment, already reflected in the State Department
spokesman's guidance, is the need to keep Tonga focused on
political reform. We now have Embassy Suva Pol/Econ Officer
Siler and Defense Attache Reardon in Nuku'alofa to plug in as
well. Siler is tasked, in particular, to gain perspective on
what the need might be for immediate donor assistance. Our
Consul returned to Fiji today, having ensured that all Amcits
who want to depart have been able to do so.
DINGER