Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni in Nuku'alofa during the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. 28 August 2024 Photo: flickr / Pacific Islands Forum
Tonga's Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, who quit from the top job on Monday ahead of a vote of no confidence, believes "the government is still in the right hands".
Hu'akavameiliku resigned after delivering a teary-eyed statement in parliament. He told RNZ Pacific soon after stepping-down that "it's better to just leave".
He was set to face the second no-confidence vote, brought by one of the 26 MPs in the legislature, 'Aisake Eke, less than a year before the 2025 polls.
"Whoever the new prime minister is going to be will do a great job given that we only have another 10 months before the elections," the former prime minister told RNZ Pacific.
It is unclear who will emerge as the new leader of government. Hu'akavameiliku said the parliament will put forward a name and the MPs - 17 elected by the people and 9 nobles - will vote in the new PM.
When asked whether his decision to resign was influenced by differences between the Crown and the government earlier this year, Hu'akavameiliku said: "It could be, we really don't know".
"It's normal to [have] a differences in views on certain things, [but] I'm not sure whether that's the reason."
He admitted that until today he remains in the dark with "very little knowledge" on the why King Tupou VI, via the Palace Office, took away the defence and foreign affairs portfolios.
"But we still provide respect to His Majesty. Whatever we do, we always consider that relationship. So maybe you can ask someone else."
He said there will always be people opposing the work the prime minister is responsible to carry out.
"I appreciate the thoughts and the prayers, those that reach out to me, supporting some of the work that we actually undertook."
Asked what is next, he said: 'A good night rest would be a nice thing do to."
"To sit back, relax, and reflect and hopefully continue contributing to the development of Tonga."
AUT senior lecturer and a former policy advisor at the Pacific Islands Forum, Sione Tekiteki told RNZ Pacific there is a lot of pressure that comes with leading a country.
He said while the decision to resign "probably wasn't easy", Hu'akavameiliku's decision must be respected.
Tekiteki believes he was the right person "to deal with a lot of issues" faced by the island.
"To be frank, he took over the mantle of leadership and he's had numerous challenges to navigate.
"Whether it's Covid, the aftermath of Covid, the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'pai eruption, including taking leadership with what has transpired in Pacific Islands Forum this year.
"I do note that with a lot of those things, it does take its toll on you. So, I guess on the positive side, you can look forward to some much needed rest," he added.