The disturbance in Tongan Parliament this morning has sparked outrage among the public, after the Chairman of the Whole House Committee failed to take action against MP Johnny Taione.
Taione is being accused of swearing at Piukala in Tongan, which was overheard on the livestreaming radio broadcast video.
As Kaniva News reported earlier, Chairman Lord Tu’ilakepa had suspended Piukala for “inappropriate behaviour” after he accused the government’s new annual budget of being allegedly falsified.
Then heated debates erupted among Piukala, the Prime Minister and Lord Tu’ilakepa.
Taione interrupted and called on the Chairman to stop Piukala in which Piukala challenged him to a fight.
However, Lord Tu’ilakepa finally announced that he has suspended Piukala.
The Chairman’s failure to take action against Taione had been criticised by the public.
The public has been quick to condemn Taione’s behavior, calling it disrespectful and unbecoming of an MP.
Many believed the Chairman should have suspended Taione instead of Piukala. They have also called on the Speaker to take action against Taione, with some even calling for his suspension from Parliament.
The Speaker has yet to comment on the incident.
Taione’s insult drew a backlash from many who said they were shocked and disgusted by his demeanour.
“That’s unbelievable. It is better to argue and dispute issues as much as you can but you can’t swear in the House,” a commenter on Facebook said.
“If our MPs didn’t have good manners, that’s too bad,” wrote one commenter.
Some commenters asked why the Speaker was slow to do something about Taione.
It remains to be seen what action, if any, the Speaker will take against Taione. However, the public’s reaction to the incident suggests that they will not tolerate this type of behavior from their elected representatives.
