Anote Tong

Anote Tong
President of Kiribati
In office 10 July 2003 – 11 March 2016
Vice President	Teima Onorio
Preceded by	Tion Otang (Acting)
Succeeded by	Taneti Mamau
Personal details
Born	11 June 1952 Tabuaeran, Gilbert and Ellice Islands (now Kiribati)
Political party	Pillars of Truth
Spouse(s)	Nei Meme
Alma mater	University of Canterbury London School of Economics

Anote Tong (simplified Chinese: 汤安诺; traditional Chinese: 湯安諾; pinyin: tāng ān nuò; born 11 June 1952 in Tabuaeran, Line Islands) is an I-Kiribati politician with Chinese heritage who served as President of Kiribati from 2003 to 2016. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast (47.4%) against his older brother, Dr. Harry Tong (43.5%) and the private lawyer Banuera Berina (9.1%).^[1] The elections were contested by the opposition, due to allegations of electoral fraud but the High Court of Tarawa had confirmed that there was no fraud. He was re-elected on 17 October 2007 for a second term (64%). In 2012, Tong was reelected for a third term, although with a significantly smaller percentage than in the previous two elections.^[2]

President Tong is primarily known abroad for his efforts to raise "global awareness on the threat posed by climate change".^[3]

Early and personal life

Born in Tabuaeran, Line Islands, he is the third of six children of Tong Ting Hai, a Chinese migrant who settled in the Gilberts after World War II and Nei Keke Randolph, from the islands of Abaiang and Maiana in Kiribati,^[4] he went to St Bede's College for his secondary school education, graduated from Canterbury University with a degree in Science, and then gained a Masters in Economics degree from the London School of Economics.^[5]

He is married to an I-Kiribati woman, First Lady Nei Meme, and has seven children. Tong is originally from the island of Maiana, located in central Kiribati.^[6]

Political career

During the campaign, he promised to review the lease of a spy and satellite tracking base used by the People's Republic of China and "to take appropriate actions at the right time." On 7 November, he established relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, which led the People's Republic of China to sever relations and vacate its satellite base nearly a month later.

Tong's Presidential residence

Tong was overwhelmingly re-elected to his seat in parliament in the August 2007 parliamentary election.^[7] On 17 October 2007, he was re-elected as president by a large majority. The opposition boycotted the election due to the exclusion of two opposition candidates, including Tong's brother Harry.^[8]

Tong was re-elected to a third, and final, four-year term as President in the January 2012 election.^[9] Tong won a little over 40% of the popular vote.^[9] He defeated two challengers, including his nearest rival, Tetaua Taitai, by more than 2,000 votes.^[9] Tong reappointed Teima Onorio to a third term as Vice President of Kiribati on 19 January 2012, as part of his cabinet appointments for his third term.^[10]

He retired from politics after the Kiribati parliamentary election, 2015–16.^[11]

Issues

A women's rights group, the Kiribati National Council of Women, has been formed recently for the primary purpose of advocating for a proposed new government entity, one that would be the Ministry of Women and Children. A bill that among other actions would create this bureau passed through the House of Assembly of Kiribati on 23 August 2012 and reached the second round of voting, but was ultimately voted against due to a blurry outline on budgetary proportioning.^[12] After the National Council of Women voiced its discontent, President Tong stated that "the defeat was unfortunate, but it does not mean that we will not continue to support the women’s issues. As a government, we will do it via other means, and perhaps it will come back to Parliament in the future."^[13] This variably leaves the door open for women's rights to become an even greater issue than it already is in Kiribati.

References

1. "Country profile: Kiribati". BBC News. 29 April 2009. Archived from the original on 11 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
2. Archived 3 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
3. "Committee to campaign for Nobel Peace Prize for Anote Tong", Radio Australia, 20 December 2013
4. "Tiny Pacific islands play China using the Taiwan card". Theage.com.au. 2003-11-10. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
5. "World Environment Day guests confirmed", New Zealand government press release, 5 March 2008; contains a brief biography of President Tong
6. "Parliament Nominates 3 Candidates for Kiribati President". The Kiribati Independent (East–West Center's Pacific Islands Report). 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
7. "Kiribati president returned at general election, likely will form new government", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), 23 August 2007. Archived 31 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
8. "Tong re-elected Kiribati president", ABC Radio Australia, 18 October 2007.
9. "Kiribati’s Tong beats challengers to win third term". Radio New Zealand International. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
10. "Kiribati President Appoints New Cabinet". Kiribati Independent (Pacific Islands Report). 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
11. http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/293496/kiribati-getting-ready-for-second-round-of-elections
12. "Kiribati women attempt again to push for Ministry of Women and Youth | Radio New Zealand News". Rnzi.com. 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
13. "Kiribati President promises support for women's issues, despite no ministry set up | Radio New Zealand News". Rnzi.com. 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2015-12-07.

External links

• NOW on PBS: 'Paradise Lost'
• ABC News: President of Kiribati: 'Our Very Lives Are At Stake'
• Address to the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, 25 September 2008
• This country might be under water in thirty years, Washington Post, 16 June 2014.