The Australian rapid response teams are to be deployed to the South Pacific afterall, but not only to Fiji, yet another contingent (a company strength) is being touted by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Alexander Downer, Australian and New Zealand troops are beng considered for deployment to Tonga, today, the 17th November, 2006, on Australian television.

The eighth casualty from the Nukualofa riots, in Tonga,  has caused some real concerns for the South Pacific region. Before the coup d'tet in Fiji could escalate into potential bloodlust, the pre-emption process, in a Tongan version, seems much more direct overt and very violent. it is likened to a natural disaster, a whirlwind that has struck the capital of Tonga with such devastation that would only emulate the Honiara disaster of civil unrest some months earlier, in 2006. The civil unrest is contagious and it begs the question as to why civil unrest in some Pacific Island nations has become the 'flavour of the month', in Fiji, The Solomons, and now the Kingdom of Tonga.

The economic political factors may be more than likely a probable cause to ignite the violence. Perhaps, some military cabal from the ultra right elements may be seeking some international attention for the economic paroxysms that has become the 'Brown man's burden' and or the 'Blackman's burden' within the third world, incidently this event has coincided with the unfortunate passing of the great liberal economist the late Mr. Milton Friedman, who had passed away today. Milton Friedman introduced to the world of epistemological thought the economic benefits of the free market system in solving the problems of a nation's economic performance without government interference. Milton Friedman posited the belief in 'positive freedom' as choices for capiatlists as 'speculators' and as 'consumers' within the anarchic laissez fairest realm, that had explicated the raison de tre vigor for the 'Tiger Economies' notoriously popularised throughout Asiatic economies. The minnows of Friedman's vision, South Pacific Islander economies, have become the poor cousins, and have failed in their skittish purrings, and have only realised only the unfortunate pipe dream of mercantalist outposts in the South Pacific whose piffling economies have failed miserably to realise the economic miracles being felt elsewhere by the more developed CORE economies. The father of modern economic thinking posited the value of 'positive freedom' manifested in a simple idea of more selective 'choices' for the 'consumers', within the private sector, only allowing for the anarchic forces of nature to heal itself from economic paroxysms of stagflation and lacklastre performances, without government interference.  Milton Friedman has passed away leaving the world with the joys of the microeconomic reform successes as most G20 and OECD member nations now enjoy today. However, the trickling down effect to the third world seems to bely the Friedman formula of allow the free market system to solve the stagflationary paroxysms of unstable economies throughout the capitalist world. The macroeconomic mind of John Maynard Keynes had proffered a more interventionist paradigm to macroeconomic and 'full employment' solutions to global problems. Which then brings us back to Firedman's 'choices' we have to choose what to do with our monies, and what to spend it on as consumers of goods and services within the free market system. What has this to do with burning banks and department stores and upturned vehicles in Nukualofa and Honiara? It is simple, the Milton Friedman's formula has failed in the South Pacific and as fate will have it the 'dies irae' is the rise of economic dissension by the 'residualised' third world which would chime just in time for a G20 summit in Melbourne and the APEC summit in Hanoi Vietnam. The global leaders have been able to take some very serious consideration of the south pacific problem which has thankfully offset attention from Islamic Jihadis and the Middle East conflicts for locals in OCEANIA.

The bigger picture will seem less misological from an economic and political perspective which may in part have some derivative universalised inalienable truths from political philosophers perspectives along the Thomas Hobbes trails of thought and culminating with the late great thinkers such as John Maynard Keynes and now the great Milton Friedman.

But, I have digressed, on a more knee jerk reactionary response, Australia must take action and a military action (observance) seems like a responsible action for the political leaders to consider. Once again Tongans are very different from most Melanesian nations of which the Australian military have had extensive military and political interactions with recently, culturally, the 'Big Man' concept is not a gregariously Polynesian approach to diffussing Polynesian civil unrest.

Particularly, the Tongans, are unlike the Samoans, whose history of bellicose conquest is an imperialist legacy that has made the kingdom of Tonga very resolute and proud of. The Tongans had acquired the Lau Islands now part of the Fijian Islands, as well as conquering and ruling Samoa for a couple of centuries. The Samoans are not imperialists and seem to dislike acquiring other territories except for political squabbles amongst themselves, and trying to oust the colonial powers of the Tongans being a favourite pastime for the Samoans, that was until 1,500 New Zealand soldiers landed on Apia harbour, in August, 1914, when finally, the Samoans realised that they were being invaded once again by yet another hostile armed with Lee Enfield 303s. Historically speaking, the landing of ANZAC troops on German Samoa was the very first military engagement made by the ANZACS over six months before the Gallipoli landings which was on April 25th, 1915. It was just that the German DHPG company only had clerks to throw verbal abuse at the Kiwi troops when they landed with amphibious boats, whilst in just a matter of seven months later, the Turks were awaiting their arrival with plenty more fire power along the cliffs of Gallipoli. 

It was not until 1961 when the Samoans finally became truly independent from foreign rulers. Now in revenge the Samoans have acquired South Auckland and elsewhere in New Zealand, as their newly acquired territories in New Zealand. A nightmare Mr. Don Mckinnon must grit and bear as the Commonwealth Secretariat, Secretary General, who must now thinking of devising 'resolutions' for the South Pacific problem, the problem of economic and political 'RECALCITRANCY'.

Meanwhile, what of the present day crises? The resolution process will require the utmost careful consideration as Australian and New Zealand military and political resources are expended and overstreched to deal with the dysfunctionalism of failed economic states. The problems of containment of human resource surplus seems to demand further expenditure for the fear of inciting further emigration to Australia and to New Zealand by more Pacific Islanders, the McKinnon dilemma ie, during the Muldoon years in 1981 the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Don Mckinnon was requested to offer an amnesty for Samoan Overstayers to declare themselves and to rectify the immigration anomaly caused by the Treaty of Friendship, that was signed between the governments of Samoa and New Zealand post 1962 independence, for mutual understanding through political as well as military cooperation, but, more importantly, by allowing a relaxed immigration policy between the countries, and it almost gave unfettered immigration for Samoans into New Zealand. The 'Otara' reality is the present day legacy. It is New Zealand's version of Australia's 'Bondi beach'.

Tonga is presenting some recalcitrant problems for certain political misfits who may even consider ex-patriation to either Australia or New Zealand to join their families already there? This may be considered a real problem for many white Australians who may still consider Pacific Islanders as VISUALLY UNAUSTRALIAN. Needless to say, what are the immediate responses to the present crises that we must consider?

RECOMMENDATIONS considered off the cuff:

The politics of 'containment', therefore, means more injection of AUSAID welfarism, along a Keynesian paradigm, to the South Pacific, so as to shore their crippled economies and to KEEP THEM THERE.

To develop further infrastructural networks and, in thus, to stimulate 'full employment' for an idle villagers who would otherwise become potential 'rascals' from the Port Moresby, in PNG, stereotypes.

To amend, through legislative policies, proactive and culturally significant policies so as to dismantle the 'fragmenting feudalised structure' of Tongan society, so as to integrate the residualised members of society, and to participate fully within the social mobility potentialities proferred by more egalitarian regimes within liberal democracies such as Australia and New Zealand.

Therefore, a re-structure of state seems paramount and constitutionally significant questions must be addressed culminating in a referenda and plebscite for institutional structural changes to the monarchical feudal status quo for the Kingdom of  Tonga. This is particularly important for the sake of continuity and preservation of the status quo in light of the mourning by the people of Tonga for the passing of a Monarch, and the accession of a new monarch onto the throne will mean a very trying inaugural crowning ceremony will ensue. The present day mourning process, and the uncertainty of change, may, in part, be considered as a catalyst for the violence, but, this is, by no means, not the root cause, as I mentioned above. The cartharsis of a grieving people may be manifested in the violence that has ensued in Nukualofa but this seems too outlandish to comprehend. The economic and political explanations seem more cognisantly more pallatable for the more reasonable minded observers to consider.

After the dust settles, the excitement and euphoria of anger and anguish will dissipate into remorseful reflection and then to recollect ones senses the grieving will continue for months if not years to come, to heal the wounds of a hurt people requires more than foreign aid thrown at them it is to instil integrity and cultural respect for the losses they have suffered. The purging of anxieties and the cartharsis thereof are emotive responses for the human condition. It is to be human afterall, we are not truly ubermensch beings impervious to the foibles of imperfection.

A time to heal will give way to reconciliation, then recovery, reconstruction and to then, hopefully, progress further. Still, Utopia does not exist, we can at least think that it does, everyone else has had an idea or two about it.

Tim Tufuga 17th November, 2006.