"Tourism Representative in Hawaii"

The Minister of Tourism Fineasi Funaki has appointed Joe Mataele as Tonga Visitors Bureau Representative in the Hawaiian region. His term of reference shall be forwarded to him in due course by the Director of the Tonga Visitors Bureau.

Joe Mataele told this column that he was extremely happy and excited with his new appointment and he shall do his best to make sure that he plays a contributive role to the development of Tonga. He said he will promote Tonga as a destination to the Tongan community because it would be to their advantage to assess and evaluate the living standard and the real needs of the Tongan people at home. Foreign visitors and potential investors are secondary requirement.

Joe is hoping to solicit support from the Tongan people in Hawaii and to work in close cooperation with them on what they may deem appropriate for the well being of the Tongan people at home. He believes that if the Tongan people make regular visits to Tonga they will spend more money there in addition to their remittances.

Joe plans to form working groups to work on different tourism projects in an effort to boost Tourism in the Kingdom. There are many Tongan people who have contacted him about their support and willing to work with him under his new office. They have sent to Tonga two container loads of books for a library to be opened in the near future at Fatumu, Ha'asini and Niutoua to help the education of Tongan children.

The new immigration Act recently passed by parliament allowing dual citizenship for Tongans is a source of encouragement to many Tongans who would like to build vacation or holiday houses in their allotments in Tonga, and this again would help provide rooms for holiday makers.

Joe Mataele is originally from Vava'u. His Grandfather Mataele was a warden at Vava'u. His mother is from Tatakamotonga. Joe has lived in Hawaii for 18 years and he knows the Hawaiian region quite well.

In the critical eyes of Kele'a there is nothing bad about creating posts overseas as long as the person appointed was the most suitable candidate. Very often in the past foreigners were appointed to Tongan post overseas and they became more involved with their own pockets rather than the country and the people of Tonga.

Lets hope that Joe Mataele was the best candidate to the post of Tourism representative in Hawaii appointed not through family or friendship. He should always bear in mind that in order for his office to be successful he must be ready at all times to exercise transparency and accountability.