Sir Tomu Malaefone Sione (17 November 1941 – April 2016)
was a political figure from the
Pacific nation of
Tuvalu. He worked as a journalist from 1962 to 1968, and held the post of radio announcer in the Broadcasting and Information Department of the administration of the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...
Colony (GEIC).
He was the head of the southern
Niutao clan. He was married to Segali.
Member of Parliament
Tomu Sione was first elected to represent the constituency of
Niutao in the House of Assembly of the GEIC in 1970.
He was re-elected in the
1971 Gilbert and Ellice Islands general election General elections were held in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands on 19 March 1971.Barrie Macdonald (1971Policy and practice in an atoll territory: British rule in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, 1892 – 1970/ref>
Background
Prior to the elections con ...
,
and in the
1974 Gilbert and Ellice Islands general election General elections were held in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands on 4 April 1974. All candidates ran as independents.
Background
The system of government was changed again prior to the 1974 elections; the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Order 1974 replaced ...
. Following the separation of
Tuvalu from
Kiribati he served in the House of Assembly of the Colony of Tuvalu.
From 1975 to 1978 he was the minister for commerce and natural resources
in the cabinet of the Chief Minister
Toalipi Lauti.
Following independence Tomu Sione was elected to represent the constituency of
Niutao in the
Parliament of Tuvalu in the elections held on 27 August 1977.
He became the longest serving member of parliament.
He was the Minister of Commerce and Natural Resources in the government of
Toaripi Lauti, and Minister for National Resources and Home Affairs from 1989 to 1993 in the government of
Bikenibeu Paeniu.
Sione was re-elected in the
first 1993 general election, which resulted in a hung parliament, as no government could be formed.
He agree with the members of the Paeniu team of candidates in the
second 1993 elections, that he would not stand for parliament. Bikenibeu Paeniu was the caretaker prime minister and proceeded to have Sione appointed as the Governor-General, as
Toaripi Lauti, the incumbent Governor-General was due to retire as he had reached the retirement age of 65 years.
Governor-General
Sione served as
Governor-General of Tuvalu from 1993 to 1994,
as the representative of
Elizabeth II,
Queen of Tuvalu
The monarchy of Tuvalu is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Tuvalu. The current Tuvaluan monarch and head of state since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the per ...
. He was sworn in as the Governor-General on 29 November 1993.
His role as a minister in the
Bikenibeu Paeniu cabinet, which was not returned to government in the first 1993 general election or the second 1993 general election, and the view held by that his appointment had not been made with the appropriate consultative process, lead to the government of
Kamuta Latasi to advise Her Majesty the Queen to terminate his appointment as Governor-General.
His office was terminated by Queen Elizabeth II in June 1994.
The members of the opposition and the opinions expressed by the leaders of 3 of the islands, including Sione's home island of Niutao, had opposed this course of action as being culturally, socially and traditionally insensitive and disrespectful of the dignity of the office of the Governor-General.
Later political career
Somewhat unusually for a former Governor-General, Sione later stood again for parliament. He was elected by the constituency of
Niutao in the
1998 Tuvaluan general election,
and served as
Speaker of the Parliament from 1998 to 2002.
He was created
GCMG in 2001.
Sione lost his seat in the
2002 Tuvaluan general election
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 25 July 2002. All candidates were independents, as there are no political parties in the country. Saufatu Sopoanga was appointed Prime Minister after the election as the previous Prime Minister Koloa Talak ...
,
however he was re-elected in the
2006 Tuvaluan general election
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 3 August 2006 to elect fifteen members to the Parliament. There were 5,765 eligible voters on the electoral roll. 32 candidates, including 2 women, competed for the 15 seats (the parliament had been increas ...
and was subsequent appointed as chairman of the parliamentary caucus in the Administration of
Prime Minister of Tuvalu Apisai Ielemia.
He represented the constituency of
Niutao until the
2010 Tuvaluan general election
Parliamentary elections were held in Tuvalu on 16 September 2010. Voters elected fifteen members of the Parliament to a four-year term. All candidates were independents, as there are no political parties in the country. Ten out of the fifteen i ...
.
Unsuccessful attempt at political comeback
Having been out of parliament for 5 years, he was a candidate in the
2015 Tuvaluan general election and received 300 votes, but was not elected.
See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sione, Tomu
1941 births
2016 deaths
Governors-General of Tuvalu
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from Niutao
Speakers of the Parliament of Tuvalu