Tonga PM defends cost of Forbes publication

Transcript

Tonga's Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva has defended the cost of an article in Forbes magazine which cost the government more than a quarter of its tourism budget.

Questions have been raised over spending public money on the two page article for which Tonga paid $US150,000 dollars.

Mr Pohiva says he was approached first by Forbes' editors who were interested in interviewing him.

He told Indira Moala why he accepted the deal.

'AKILISI POHIVA: They came to Tonga earlier this year and they discussed it with the acting Secretary [of the Government] at the time. And he accepted for Forbes to interview me. That's what happened. I learned later on that Forbes was one of the well known magazines of the world and it is the magazine for the rich people. I didn't know that but I learned when we talked that Forbes magazine is a very popular magazine, but it is only for the rich people. The reason why - they had been looking for people to interview and they thought me as a prime minister elected by the people - they thought it significant.     

INDIRA MOALA: Did the Government pay for the publication of that article?

AP: Oh yes.

IM: And what was that amount?

AP: The amount I know was $150,000. [ this has been confirmed as US dollars by Mr Pohiva's office].

IM: Was that justifiable to you?

AP: Yeah I think, to some extent. Talking to people who are familiar with the purpose of this magazine, it is a magazine circulated to hundreds of thousands of rich people in the world, and they thought that it is worth.....anyway the future will tell the impact.

IM: Given that the audience is a wealthy demographic is the Government hoping that it will attract foreign investors or foreign investment?

AP: I think so. That has been the purpose of the interview. The interview is intended to attract and you know to advertise Tonga among the circle of the rich people. I think it will attract, in one way or the other, investors to come in here and invest in Tonga. I have talked to some friends overseas - they know me - my struggle here in Tonga. I am aware that as a prime minister, most people in the Pacific and throughout the Commonwealth countries, they have been following what I have been doing, for years, and to them I have been playing a very significant role in the democratisation process that has been going on - not only in Tonga but throughout the Commonwealth countries.