Tokelau
Tokelau: Political System
According to Digopaul.com,
the official name of the country is:
Tokelau is a dependent area, a dependency, of New Zealand. Tokelau is
administered by the New Zealand Secretary of State in Wellington.
The Tokelau Apia Liason Office (TALO), an administrative apparatus in Apia,
Samoa, supports them in their work. Tokelau is on the way to independence and
therefore the form of government is changing. Since July 1, 2004 the government
has been structured as follows:
Each of the three atolls has a council of elders (Taupulega) of six
members. These 3 times 6 members form General Fono, the
parliament of the islands, with 18 members.
On the three islands themselves this is represented by the "lazy people", who
are elected for three years on the individual islands. The island
representatives are preceded by a joint superordinate representation, the
"Pulenuku", which is also elected for three years.
Parliament meets three to four times a year for three to four days. It meets
on the island of Faipule, who holds the presidency of parliament for a year. The
post of chairman rotates among the three lazy men.
When parliament is not in session, Tokelau is governed by the Council for the
Ongoing Government of Tokelau. This represents the executive branch. The council
consists of three Faipule and three Pulenuku.
The Tokelau people are citizens of New Zealand. In February 2006, 600
Tokelaus eligible voters voted to maintain dependence on New Zealand. Otherwise,
it was feared that New Zealand would no longer maintain the support services
after the island state gained independence. New Zealand currently finances
around 80% of the Tokelau budget. In addition, around four times as many
Tokelauers live in New Zealand as in Tokelau itself.
National anthem
Based on flag descriptions by
Countryaah.com, the national anthem of Tokelau is that of Great Britain and therefore also that
of New Zealand.
It reads: "God save the Queen"
In English
| 1st stanza
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen:
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen. 2nd stanza
O Lord, our God, arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall.
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix:
God save the Queen.
3rd stanza
Thy choicest gifts in store, on her be pleased to pour;
Long may she reign:
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen 1). |
And in the English translation
| 1st stanza
God, protect our gracious queen,
Long live our noble queen,
God, protect the queen!
Send her victory,
happiness and glory,
That she may rule over us long!
God Save the Queen! 2nd stanza
O Lord our God, help her,
Scatter her enemies,
And let her perish;
Confuse their (the enemy's) policy,
Thwart their scoundrels!
We place our hopes on you.
God Save the Queen!
3rd stanza shower her
with your choicest gifts
, to please you,
That she reign for a long time,
That she enforce justice
And always give us reason
to sing
loudly and from the heart: God protect the queen! |
1) Depending on whether the monarchy is led by a king or a queen, in addition
to Queen/King and her/his, the last two lines of the third stanza change to:
"With heart and voice to sing
God save the King."
The last three of the original six stanzas counting anthem are not sung
today, if only because the line
"And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush."
And like a torrent,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
| 4th stanza
Not in this land alone,
But be God's mercies known,
From shore to shore!
Lord make the nations see,
That men should be brothers,
And form one family,
The wide world o'er. 5th verse
From every latent foe,
From the assassins blow,
God save the Queen!
O'er her thine arm extend,
For Britain's sake defend,
Our mother, prince, and friend,
God save the Queen!
6th stanza
Lord grant that Marshall Wade
May
bring by thy mighty aid Victory.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the Queen! |
English translation
| 4th stanza
Not only in this country
be known God's grace,
but on all coasts!
Lord, make the peoples realize
that men should be brothers
And be one family,
All over the world. 5th verse
Before every hidden enemy,
Before the attack of the murderer,
God, protect the queen!
Hold your hand over her,
For Britain's sake, defend
our mother, prince and friend,
God protect the queen!
6th stanza
God, grant that George Wade,
your mighty help, may
return home victorious!
May he silence the riot
And break loose like a raging torrent
To bring down rebellious bulkheads!
God Save the Queen! |
Tokelau: Well-known people
Samuel Sakaria
A contemporary painter
Te Vaka, in German: the canoe
The group combines traditional with modern music. Their performances are
accompanied by dance performances that also combine tradition and modernity.
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