Sione Sangster Saulala

Sione Sangster Saulala (born 9 April 1974[1]) is a Tongan broadcaster and politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga. He is a member of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands.

Sangster Saulala
Sangster Saulala in 2014
Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries
In office
13 July 2012 – 27 November 2014
Prime MinisterLord Tuʻivakanō
Preceded byLord Vaea
Succeeded bySemisi Fakahau
Member of Parliament
for Tongatapu 7
In office
26 November 2010 – 27 November 2014
Preceded bySione Vuna Fa'otusia
Personal details
Born9 April 1974
Political partyDemocratic Party of the Friendly Islands

Personal background

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Politics and Business Management from the University of the South Pacific, and a Diploma in Education from the Tonga Teaching Training College.[1]

Saulala is the manager of the Oceania Broadcasting Network and editor of the Tonga Star. In 2003, he was one of five people prosecuted for contempt of court for a television broadcast discussion the government's suppression of the Times of Tonga newspaper.[2] In 2007 he was charged with sedition and riotous assembly over the 2006 Nuku'alofa riots, but the charges were later dismissed.[3]

In 2007 Saulala served as chair of the Tonga Rugby Union.[4] He was re-elected in 2009 but his election was disputed.[4][5]

Political career

He contested the 2005 elections, standing in Vava'u, and the 2008 elections, standing in Tongatapu,[6] but was unsuccessful. He was elected to the seat of Tongatapu 7 in the 2010 elections.[7]

In October 2011, he introduced a controversial Arms and Ammunitions (Amendment) Bill to Parliament as a private member's bill. The aim of the bill was to reduce the maximum sentence for unlicensed possession, use or carrying of a firearm, from five years to one year and/or to a fine. Saulala explained that he was introducing the bill so as to "rationalise" and "humanise" the Arms and Ammunition Act 1968, at the request of his constituents who owned and used small firearms "for the familiar chores of shooting pigs and shooting chickens". The leader of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands, MP ʻAkilisi Pohiva, expressed surprise at the bill being submitted by a member of his party without the party caucus having been at all consulted. He expressed the view that, had it been discussed by the party, it would probably have been rejected without ever reaching the floor of the Assembly. Lord Tuʻihaʻateiho, a representative of the nobility from Haʻapai, was quoted by the Taimi Media Network as pointing out that, under the amendment, persons convicted of unlicensed possession of firearms would no longer lose the right to hold government office, including a seat in Parliament. The TMN argued that "therein lay the real reason for the Bill", as two representatives of the nobility (Lord Tuʻilakepa, and Lord Tuʻihaʻateiho himself[8] in Parliament were awaiting trial on precisely that charge.[9]

On 5 July 2012 Saulala joined the cabinet of Lord Tuʻivakanō as Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries, but quit the day after he was appointed.[10] A week later, he returned to the position.[11]

He was not re-elected in the 2014 Tongan general election.

gollark: > this is how everyone's mindset should look like for building a better society.This is also subjective.
gollark: > but I don't care about human rights of people who don't care about human rights of other peopleGreat, so you picked that *subjective* judgement, okay.
gollark: Other primates are pretty social and whatnot, even some birds have tool use, I've heard that the main advantage we has is just good transfer learning capability.
gollark: Many animals can do many of the things human can.
gollark: Nobody is very sure where that line is.

References
  1. "Sione Sangster Saulala" Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, Parliament of Tonga
  2. "Five people in Tonga charged with contempt of court". RNZ. 2 April 2003. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  3. "Tonga's judiciary described as independent". RNZ. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. "New appointment to Tonga's Rugby Union Board challenged in court". Radio New Zealand International. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  5. "Tonga rugby dispute engulfs PM". RNZ. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  6. "Two candidates running in Tonga's election in April appear in court". RNZ. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  7. "First election results". MantangiTonga. 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
  8. "Tonga democrats hope King will veto bill reducing illegal gun penalties". RNZ. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  9. "Democracy at Work? Part II" Archived 2011-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, Lopeti Senituli, Taimi Media Network, 17 November 2011
  10. "Saulala quits Tonga government a day after appointment". RNZ. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  11. "Tonga opposition MP Saulala becomes government minister". RNZ. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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