The Honourable
Viliami Uasike Latu
Minister for Trade and Economic Development
Assumed office
28 December 2021
Prime MinisterSiaosi Sovaleni
Preceded byTatafu Moeaki
Minister for Tourism
In office
1 September 2011 – 27 November 2014
Prime MinisterLord Tuʻivakanō
Preceded byʻIsileli Pulu
Succeeded byPohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa
Minister for Police, Prisons and Fire Services
In office
4 January 2010 – 31 August 2011
Prime MinisterLord Tuʻivakanō
Preceded byDr. Viliami Tangi
Succeeded byLisiate ʻAloveita ʻAkolo
Member of Parliament
for Vavaʻu 16
Assumed office
18 November 2021
Preceded byʻAkosita Lavulavu
In office
25 November 2010 – 27 November 2014
Preceded bynone (constituency established)
Succeeded by‘Etuate Lavulavu
Personal details
Political partyIndependent
Alma materʻAtenisi University (BA)
University of Auckland (MA)
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (PhD)

Dr. Viliami Uasike Latu is a Tongan politician and Cabinet Minister.

After completing secondary education at Tonga High School, he became a high school teacher at the Mailefihi & Siuʻilikutapu College (in Vavaʻu) in 1991. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from ʻAtenisi University in 1995, then continued his studies at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Arts degree in 1997, then a Master of Arts degree in political science in 1999. He returned to Tonga to work as a civil servant, and served as Assistant Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office from 2000 to 2003, before beginning doctoral studies in Japan, on a scholarship provided by the Japanese government. He completed his Ph.D. in Asia Pacific Studies at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in 2006.[1]

Returning to Tonga, he served as principal assistant secretary to the Prime Minister's Officer in 2006 and 2007, then (briefly) as assistant to the chief executive officer and public relations officer at the Ministry of Education in 2008. In May of that year, he was appointed clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.[1]

He stood unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for a People's Representative seat in Vavaʻu in the April 2008 general election. He received 12.7% of the vote in Vavaʻu, finishing third of twenty-two candidates, and thus narrowly missing out on being elected as one of Vavaʻu's two representatives.[2] He stood again in the November 2010 general election, and this time was easily elected in constituency 16 (one of Vavaʻu's three newly established constituencies), with 43.7% of the vote.[3] New Prime Minister Lord Tuʻivakanō subsequently appointed him to Cabinet as Minister for Police, Prisons and Fire Services.[4] The appointment was controversial as Latu had previously been charged with assaulting his wife.[5] In August 2011 he attracted further controversy by refusing to renew the contract of police commissioner Chris Kelley, effectively firing him, and appointing himself as acting police commissioner.[6][7]

On September 1, 2011, he was reshuffled to the Ministry for Tourism.[8] He lost his seat in the November 2014 general election. He stood again at the 2016 Vavaʻu 16 by-election[9] and in the 2017 election but was unsuccessful.

He was re-elected to the seat of Vavaʻu 16 in the 2021 election.[10] On 28 December 2021 he was appointed to the Cabinet of Siaosi Sovaleni as Minister of Trade and Economic Development.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hon. Dr. Viliami Uasike Latu". Parliament of Tonga. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011.
  2. ↑ "KINGDOM OF TONGA LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS OF 24 APRIL 2008". Adam Carr. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "KINGDOM OF TONGA LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS OF 25 NOVEMBER 2010". Adam Carr. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "TONGA PRIME MINISTER NAMES CABINET". Pacific Islands Report. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Tonga women's group wary of new police minister choice". RNZ. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  6. ↑ "TONGA POLICE MINISTER NAMES SELF AS TOP COP". Pacific Islands Report. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "A spokesperson for Tonga's King says the removal of the police comissioner[sic] is illegal". RNZ. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "PUBLIC UNAWARE OF TONGA'S GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE". Pacific Islands Report. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "Sole woman MP elected in Tonga". RNZ. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Tonga elects all-male parliament with nine new People's Reps". Matangi Tonga. 18 November 2021. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "PM names new government". Matangi Tonga. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
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