KEY POINTS:
An uneerie calm marked the first part of the build-up to today's formal crowning of King George Tupou V. It is almost as though rioting two years ago, which destroyed much of downtown Nuku'alofa and left eight people dead, never occurred.
The people of Tonga, aware that the
coronation was one of those rare occasions when the world casts an eye their way, were clearly determined their country was seen in the best possible light.
They had even accepted the spending of $3 million on the ceremony, including $570,000 on princely robes from London. The total bill equates to a third of New Zealand's annual aid to Tonga. It is a heavy price for a poor nation to pay.
The absence of protest undoubtedly owed something to Tongans' residual affection for the monarchy.
Many may also have been proud that the crowning of the last remaining Polynesian monarch to head a state warranted the attendance of princes and princesses from Japan and Thailand.
It was, however, the rumoured presence of the likes of Mick Jagger that put the occasion in true perspective. This extravagance is the latest of a long line of absurdities that have prevented once-prosperous Tonga from claiming the bounty enjoyed by other Pacific nations which have embraced democracy and an open economy.
Tongans, eyeing the likes of Samoa, are obviously aware of this. They, therefore, had one other expectation of the coronation - an unequivocal statement from King Tupou that he was committed to democracy.
On Tuesday they got this, thanks, perhaps, to the monarch's fear that protests might, indeed, mar the coronation. King Tupou announced that he would relinquish his near-absolute powers and be guided by the Prime Minister and a mainly elected Parliament "in all matters of governance". The statement was as welcome as it was overdue.
The death two years ago of the much-revered King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV has unleashed a yearning for change among Tongans. Astute monarchs know they must heed the democratic urge and accept a more limited, consultative role if they are not to lose all their prestige and position.
King Tupou, who enjoys little of the esteem of his father, having lived lavishly and exercised a dubious business judgment, has acknowledged this. In fact, he probably had little choice. Significantly, the 2006 violence, which was sparked by a democracy rally, erupted just weeks after he came to the throne.
The rioting prompted a concession that would see a Parliament, in which 21 of the 30 members were elected as people's representatives, introduced by 2010. King Tupou had professed his support for change, but, until now, seemed largely a bystander in the process. Finally, he has recognised the coronation as the opportunity for a defining statement. This sends clear instructions to the Prime Minister and Cabinet that a democratic Parliament must have the highest priority.
Earlier this year, the democratic urge was re-emphasised when reform activists dominated voting in the nine seats selected by popular vote in the current 33-seat Parliament. But throughout the election campaign, the Prime Minister and Cabinet, who are chosen by the monarch and control Parliament, revealed they were reluctant to relinquish power and privilege.
Their anti-democratic impulse included interference with media outlets. The statement from the throne is as much for their benefit as that of the Tongan people.
Healthy democracy represents countries' best chance of economic prosperity. Tonga's flirtation with banana republic status has provided evidence of the perils of semi-feudal governance. Today's ceremony is as much about a defining moment on the road to Tongan democracy as the crowning of a king.