Pacific Games preparations struggling

TONGA – Tonga’s preparations to host the 2019 Pacific Games are late and in trouble,the Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva told the Tongan Parliament late last week.

The PM was responding to a concern by the ex-students Association of Tonga College over a proposition for a new golf course to be built at Tonga College, across the road from Tonga’s nine-hole golf course at Funga Manamo’ui.

The ex-students of Tonga College, over the years have raised more than $700,000 pa’anga to upgrade the boarding school, Lord Nuku told the Tongan Legislature.

Tonga College is a government school and a new 18-holes golf course will leave very little land left for the planned upgrade of the school.

The prime minister is the chairman of the 2019 Pacific Games Facility Committee and the Audit and Governance Authority, and has been very involved in trying to secure land for an 18-hole golf course for the 2019 Pacific Games.

The PM told of a number of lands option that have been offered, but at the end the only viable option is to extend the existing golf course into the swamp of the Fanga’uta Lagoon, and that would cost a lot of money.

“I have done my job, but there is a problem – no land,” Pohiva said.

“I got a feeling that the Pacific Games will not take place,” said Lord Nuku.

“Nobles help. Why allow us to work in the swamp, while there is land available,” responded the PM.

“Now the land owners are blamed,” said Lord Nuku.

“Free land is not possible. If you are looking for free land, forget it,” said Lord Tu’iha’angana.

“I have done my job, but there is a problem. I don’t want to go into the swamp,” Pohiva responded

“Right now we are late – in trouble. I will tell you on Monday what the cabinet have decided to do,” he said. - MT