Tonga's "World on Fire"

The recent riots in Tonga highlight the dangers of liberal immigration policies in non-democratic states. In the recent rioting eight Chinese immigrants have been killed and large sections of the capital, Nuku 'alofa, burnt down by elements of the native Tongan population.

According to the Taipei Times, over 1000 Chinese took refuge in police stations and The Chinese Embassy from the rioters. This unrest follows rioting against Chinese immigrants in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara. However, it the first time that such violence has been seen in a Polynesian city.

Although low-level corruption is a prominent feature of Polynesian politics, ethnic violence represents a new and disturbing development.

Over the last decade the Chinese population in Tonga has grown rapidly and Chinese businessmen now own 72 percent of businesses in Nuku 'alofa. On this poor island state, where the main source of income is remittance money from New Zealand and Australia, there is considerable resentment against highly successful Chinese immigrants.

The dangers associated with economically successful East Asians moving into economically backward states are highlighted in Amy Chua’s best selling book World on Fire. In the case of Tonga, the recent surge in Chinese immigration has been promoted by certain members of the Tongan Royal Family who are desperate to attract foreign investment into the near bankrupt country.

However, since Tonga is a non-democratic monarchy, ethnic Tongans have been unable to voice their growing unease at the rapid pace of Chinese immigration. Subsequently, this resentment has exploded in the form of serious rioting, and the resulting destruction will only add to the country’s economic woes.

As Chinese immigration has increased, native Tongans have become increasingly angry that Chinese merchants have bought in Chinese labourers to do labouring work instead of employing locals. Unfortunately though, in countries with corrupt unstable governments such clannishness is par for the course, since people can only trust those with which they have strong informal ties.

In New Zealand, the liberal left often criticises New Zealand First for tapping into popular discontent with expansive immigration policies - particularly when this discontent is reflected in opinion polls.

However, it doesn’t seem to dawn on these critics that “populist” parties like New Zealand First provide a barometer for the government to gauge the public’s mood over immigration. This allows the state to temper its policies and avoid the kind of ethnic conflict that is occurring in the South Pacific.

New Zealand First’s strong showing in the 2002 election directly influenced the Government’s decision to temporarily reduce immigrant intakes and set tougher English language requirements for perspective Asian immigrants.