Behind the riots in Tonga
The rioting in Tonga may have died down, but the pro-democracy movement is still fired up. Last month the National Committee for Political Reform presented its road map for democratic reform to parliament, but the year looked like it would come to a close with no real advancement of democracy in Tonga, and no certainly vote. Then came the riots. Over the weekend, the Tongan Government finally agreed to step up the pace of reforms. An emergency meeting of the cabinet, nobles and elected commoners resolved to increase the number of MPs elected by popular vote to a majority in Parliament. Under the current system, most representatives are appointed by the King. However, Professor Ian Campbell from the University of South Pacific says democracy won’t necessarily improve Tonga’s political process. He spoke earlier from his office in Fiji.