School 'unfairness' led to Moala’s media success

By Lucy Mullinger: Pacific Media Centre

Publisher Kalafi Moala’s civil rights streak began early – as a high school student. His friend and broadcaster Sefita Hao’uli told at the weekend how Moala had already brushed against government authority in school.

Teachers at the state-run Tonga High School, where Moala was head prefect, would “cane us if we tried to speak Tongan,” said Hao’uli.

Speaking at the launching of Moala’s second book, In Search of the Friendly Islands, Hao’uli described the clothes they had to wear at school – “thick blazers, socks up to our knees and caps in sweltering tropical heat”.

The boys were confused about why they needed to dress this way. But they knew one thing: “The moment you were in uniform you couldn’t speak Tongan.”

“We all thought what a silly uniform and why do we have to speak English, a language we don't understand?”

The unfair high school treatment propelled both men towards a media career.

Hao’uli later launched the 531pi Pacific community radio in Auckland and Moala now runs the government newspaper Kalonikali – the Chronicle. Twenty years ago when he sought help from the state paper, Moala was told his newspaper Taimi ‘o Tonga would not last three months.

New era
But the Taimi group has now taken over, marking a new era in government and press relations.

During the two decades he has owned the Taimi ‘o Tonga - a newspaper which according to Pacific Media Centre director Dr David Robie “aimed to bring alternative perspectives and voices into Tonga's public sphere” - government laws often curbed freedom of the press.

During October 1996, Moala was jailed for alleged contempt of Parliament and banned from his own country for more than four years, the newspaper was raided 12 times during a period of three years and he received death threats

His Auckland-based newspaper suffered because it practised “freedom of the press”.

Moala has won many different awards, including the Pacific Media Freedom Award for his fight for democratic reforms.

“I believe that without Taimi being in place, things wouldn't have changed as much as they have. Kalafi has made a real contribution to Tonga,” said Sefita Hao’uli.

“Any journalist worth his salt will learn how to write, spell and use proper syntax –
but without courage, the stories will be empty,” Hao’uli added.

“Kalafi is much more courageous than many of us.”

Finding solutions
Moala’s earlier book, Island Kingdom Strikes, published in 2002, was written mainly about the scandals and injustices that were carried out by the government and royal authorities. In Search of the Friendly Islands deals with Tonga’s problems and finding solutions.

According to his publisher, Ana Currie, Pasifika Foundation Press, a Hawai’i- based group, was keen to publish this book with the help of AUT University’s Pacific Media Centre because of the “great work Kalafi has done for Tonga and the Pacific Islands”.

Currie met Moala back in 2003 and having lived in Hawai’i and travelled all over the Pacific, she appreciated “what Kalafi was fighting about”.

Innes Logan, publisher of Spasifik, the only mainstream media Pacific magazine in New Zealand, said: “There must be a new way we can confront the problems that we face”.

Moala said: “My dream and hope for Tonga is that we will have a nation with freedom and without anarchy”.

Picture: Kalafi Moala being interviewed by CBA's John Cameron and Shona Caughey at the book launching. Photo: Lucy Mullinger.

Lucy Mullinger is a student journalist on the Asia-Pacific Journalism course, AUT University.

Pasifika Foundation Press
Book launching photo gallery
In Search of the Friendly Islands

Storytelling the tough Tongan issues

By Josephine Latu: Pacific Media Watch

Tongan publisher Kalafi Moala uses real-life examples for storytelling about sensitive Pacific issues in a new book launched in New Zealand at the weekend - such as elitism, religious hypocrisy, child abuse and domestic violence, racism against Chinese immigrants and the exploitation of tradition.

“It’s an uncomfortable truth,” Kalafi told Pacific Media Watch about his vivid Tongan examples.

One story in his book, In Search of the Friendly Islands, is a gritty childhood memory of a boy getting his earlobe clipped off by his own father – because he “wouldn’t sit still” during a haircut.

“But that’s part of transparency. We have to bring up those issues – we’ve got to face it, we’ve got to embrace it so we can come up with certain solutions,” said Moala.

The courageous book by Taimi ‘o Tonga publisher Moala - arguably the kingdom’s most prolific media figure - was launched at the Onehunga Community Centre and Library in Auckland on Saturday.

The event brought together various Pasifika media personalities, including New Zealand Herald columnist Tapu Misa, Spasifik publisher Innes Logan, Radio 531 PI founder Sefita Hao’uli, Pasifika Foundation Hawai’i executive director Ana Currie, Pacific Media Centre director Dr David Robie and MP Carmel Sapuloni.

It also marked the launch of Pasifika Foundation Press, which published the book along with AUT University’s PMC.

In Search of the Friendly Islands, is a candid critique of Tonga’s political, social and cultural challenges, and deals with many misconceptions that the public – including the foreign press – may have about the issues.

'Parachute journalists'
The book is also so outspoken that University of the South Pacific Professor Ian Campbell predicts “many Tongans will be embarrassed by what Kalafi has to tell them”.

In a separate chapter, Moala talks about the notorious riot of 16/11. Rather than a freedom protest, he claims the crisis was driven by self-interested “pro-democratic” leaders wishing to seize political power through mob force.

Overseas “parachute journalists”, Kalafi claims, got it all wrong.

The two-time Pacific Media Freedom Award winner said much of the reporting about Tongan politics by Western media are “very shallow”, often pushing a simplified “one size fits all” democratic model that ignores the complexity of the Tongan situation.

His message is that social and political problems will not be solved simply by changing the political and economic system – it involves a spiritual and ideological dynamic as well.

Associate professor David Robie described the book as “brutally honest” and a “reality check on Tonga today”.

“While some might see Kalafi’s message as pessimistic, I see this as essentially an optimistic book – one that is a challenge of how to be far more constructive about change,” he said.

As a long-time advocate of democratic reform and media freedom in Tonga, Moala is indeed positive about the nation’s future, and is opting for resolution and reconstruction in his campaigns.

In addition to operating the weekly Taimi ‘o Tonga and TV channel TMN-2, his newest venture is taking over operations for the government-owned Tonga Chronicle (after being threatened, sued, and banned by the government in previous years).

“I’m far more optimistic now about Tonga than ever before in my life. I see a lot more togetherness, in the political, social and religious spectrums,” he said at the launch.

Pictures: Top: Kalafi Moala with columnist Tapu Misa; Middle: Sefita Hao'uli; Above: Josephine Latu interviewing businesswoman Salote Lilo. Photos: Del Abcede.

In Search of the Friendly Islands, by Kalafi Moala. Published by the Pasifika Foundation Press and AUT Pacific Media Centre. ISBN 9781877314759. NZ$34.95 South Pacific Books Ltd.

Moala's message: Freedom without anarchy

Staff reporter: Pacific Media Centre

Publisher Kalafi Moala has warned Tongans to decide on what sort of nation they want for their future, saying mere political reform is not enough.

“We have to decide whether we want freedom without anarchy and order without tyranny,” he said today at the launch of his second book, In Search of the Friendly Islands, in Auckland.

He said he had written the book in response to the challenges facing Tonga in an era of globalisation and conflict between tradition and modernity.

The answers lay with the Tongan people - it was up to them to shape their future, but rediscovering traditional spirituality and faith was an important part of this path forward.

Democracy alone could not solve the issues of poverty, crime and social justice.

Several speakers endorsed the publication of the book, including Pasifika Foundation Press executive director Ana Currie, leading broadcaster Sefita Hao’uli and Spasifik magazine publisher Innes Logan.

Associate professor David Robie, director of AUT’s Pacific Media Centre, described the book as courageous and likely to provoke controversy and debate for months ahead.

“While some might see the book as pessimistic, I see it as ultimately optimistic,” he said.

“Kalafi Moala believes passionately in ideas and unlike some journalism that is part of the problem in a society, he has made the choice to be part of a solution.”

The New Zealand Herald published a full page feature article on the book today, quoting Moala as asking: “Can we rediscover the values in our own culture, in our faith-based principles, that have worked for us?”

For Tongans living outside the kingdom, in particular, he said: “The call for changes to our governing structure … must involve not only the abandoning and discarding of all that is harmful but must be replaced by that which serves the divine imperative.”

The book was launched on the day that Moala’s Taimi Media Network took over management of the government-owned newspaper Kalonikali, the Chronicle.

A launching will be held in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, next weekend.

Top picture: Kalafi Moala in an interview with Tnews, above: signing a book for PMC's David Robie. Photos by Del Abcede.

Media crusader’s blighted dream
In Search of the Friendly Islands