I Saw Three Ships

MV Otuanga'Ofa, MV Ajang Subuh, MV Pulupaki @ Queen Salote Wharf

The big event in Tonga this week was the arrival of the long-awaited MV Otuanga'ofa, the new passenger and freight ferry built by Japan to meet Tonga's critical need for reliable transport between its far flung islands.  It was greeted Friday afternoon (October 15) by an ad hoc flotilla and escorted to a berth at Nuku'alofa's Queen Salote wharf.  This ship was originally commissioned in 2005 when the Tongan government realized that the MV Olovaha, its workhorse ferry since 1981, was at the end of its useful life.  Since then construction delays (which have been blamed on the operator of the competing private ferry, the MV Pulupaki, who is also a member of Tonga's parliament) and the resulting ill-advised purchase and subsequent sinking tragedy of the MV Princess Ashika have underscored the urgent need for the new ship.

Tonga's only port usable by freighters is here in Nuku'alofa.  Most freight and all passengers wishing to travel to the other major islands and a few smaller islands rely on ferries.  The Shipping Corporation of Polynesia, the government owned operator of the Olovaha, has provided the bulk of the freight service, but because the Olovaha was slow, uncomfortable and reportedly "bobbed like a cork" most passengers preferred to ride the MV Pulupaki, operated privately by Uata Shipping. 

The Olovaha was damaged in a hurricane in 2003 and required major repairs.  Since then her operation became increasingly problematic, and in 2005 the government began planning for her replacement.  The government of Japan offered assistance, and planning for the construction of the Otuanga'ofa began.  The Olovaha was finally removed from service in late 2008.  She has sat in port since then and is slowly being dismantled for scrap. 

The government then began its search for a temporary replacement and ended up purchasing the ill-fated Princess Ashika.  After serving less than a month it sank in August, 2009 taking 74 passengers with it to a watery grave (see previous post:  "Remembering August 5").

 Since that time until just a few months ago the only ferry service has been provided by the MV Pulupaki, but its service has also been plagued by seaworthiness issues. Last Christmas it was ordered berthed after a marine survey indicated the need for repair.  So for several months there was no freight and passenger service except for the airline service provided by Chathams Pacific.  Outer islands had to scramble for ways to get needed provisions students were late getting back to their schools on Tongatapu after the summer break. No one knew for sure when the Pulupaki would return to service, but she was suddenly determined to be fit for service after her owners defied government detainment orders.  In the meantime the Peace Corps reassigned five volunteers serving on outer islands, whose only transportation at the time was the Pulupaki, for safety reasons.

Meanwhile the government continued its search for a temporary replacement for the Olovaha, finally finding a new Indonesian ship, the MV Ajang Subuh, which it was able to lease for a year.  With financial `help from Australia and New Zealand, the Ajang Subuh arrived in Tonga in April and began service in May.  With a capacity of only 70 passengers and 200 tons of cargo it has been only a stop gap measure.  But since many Tongans refuse to ride on it (remembering the government told them the Ashika was safe, too) it has served very nicely.

Which brings us to the long anticipated arrival of the Otuanga'ofa, which will carry 400 passengers, 400 tonnes of cargo, and promises to be the reliable transportation option the country has sorely needed.  Dock upgrades are in process in all her ports of call, but the government is still looking for an operator.  If interested contact the Ministry of Transportation ASAP!.

The Kingdom awaits . . .

Faithful readers:  We are welcoming a new group of volunteers in about a month.  Thinking back to one year ago when Kathy and I were in the same situation I decided to write a bit about what I've learned since then as sort of a high-level overview with them in mind.  However, I  think you'll enjoy it as well.

So Welcome Peace Corps Tonga Group 76 to the Kingdom!  Here's a bit of perspective from someone with all of one year of experience here, so keep that in mind as you file this with everything else you may be learning.

The Kingdom of Tonga has entered the wider world's awareness only in the last 200 or so years, just a few grains in the great sand clock of civilization.  Today I was showing my Economics classes a video about why geography was largely responsible for creating the conditions that led to the development of the great industrial nations.  Of course, virtually none of those conditions exist in this tropical island country, a geographically dispersed collection of really small islands with little to offer the rest of the world.  So little that no Western powers were all that interested in colonizing it; consequently it has more or less stumbled into the inevitable globalising process by itself.

We Americans are a very diverse bunch, from a multitude of different cultures with a plethora of ethnic and racial identities all of which shapes who we are as individuals.  For the most part we are very accepting of our differences and hold no particular common values around culture and ceremony (although we all stand for the National Anthem at ball games.)  

Tongans, in stark contrast, are a very homogenous people.  They share an ethnic identity and a complex set of common social and cultural traditions that we Americans have some trouble comprehending.  Social norms and rules of behavior are very well defined and ongoing compliance is expected.  It is, as you have no doubt read, a hierarchical society, with the King at the top and various strata of royalty and nobility above the common folk.  It is helpful to understand that it wasn't until late in the 19th century that commoners were declared to be full citizens by King George Tupou I.  Until then their ongoing right to live was at the pleasure of the entitled nobility.

The royals and nobles have a very complicated set of traditions, relationships, and hierarchies that you will never begin to understand. They have responsibilities to look after the welfare of the commoners, just as the commoners have responsibilities to supply them with food and gifts. It's all very complicated and you will want to try to figure it out, especially if you are assigned to a smaller village, but don't expect that anyone will really be able to explain it to you.

This fairly rigid set of norms and traditions has served the nation very well for centuries.  As long as Tonga was a subsistence economy with limited contact with the rest of the world this colorful fabric of culture provided meaning, spice, and a sense of order to everyday life.  You will, no doubt, get to expeience the dances, costumes, feasts, and singing that come from these traditions. The country did quite well in providing the basic necessities of life.

But the rest of the world has encroached, first with the missionaries who converted King George Tupou I and, consequently, everyone else, to a brand of Wesleyan Methodism, and then later with those seeking markets for manufactured goods and processed foods, many of which made life easier (such as bicycles, ready-to-wear clothing, tools and building materials) and many of which have created a whole host of problems (junk food and its wrappings most notably).   Radios, TVs and DVDs, and now computers and the internet have brought the rest of the world smack dab into the midst of all this tradition. And created a mountain of e-waste in the process.

Tonga is having trouble figuring all this out.  A traditional culture based on an unchanging subsistence way of life trying to preserve traditional values facing up to appetites whetted for consumer goods and the ubiquitous MTV culture.  It is a transition fraught with danger and confusion. You will especially see this in the young adults who are trying to figure out where they fit with all this change.

The current great unknown is how the government and the country is going to make the transition to a more democratic form of governance after elections this Fall create a legislature with a majority of elected members (until now the majority has been nobles appointed by the King.)  So you will have the opportunity to experience this first hand.  Your timing is great!

On to more mundane matters.  Bring stuff that is important to you;  we were really glad we brought our big non-stick skillet, our pillows and a nice set of sheets, and our French press coffee maker.  We wish we would have brought a good knife sharpener.  I haven't even unpacked most of the shirts I brought from home, and have worn the long pants only when I've traveled outside the country (except for one pair of jeans I've worn a few times at night).  Bring your snorkel and mask and take them to your training in Ha'apai. Think seriously about bringing your serviceable mountain or cross bike; while you might get lucky here and find a good used bike to buy, the Chinese bikes sold by stores are of poor quality.

They say the day begins in Tonga, and we look forward to meeting you as your new life in Tonga begins on October 7.