ʻOku ou ʻilo lahi ange ʻi he taimí ni. Taʻefaʻalaua ʻene lelei angé!

Naʻe fāʻeleʻi ʻa Pita Peeti ʻi he taʻu 1949 ʻi Nepiā, Nuʻu Sila, pea tupu hake ʻi he kolo ofi mai pē ko Kisipooni. Naʻá ne kei taʻu 14—ako ʻi he Ako Māʻolunga Litoní—ʻi he taimi naʻe hoko ai ha mole lahi fakamamahi ki hono fāmilí: Naʻe pekia ʻa e tamai ʻa Pitá mei haʻane tō ʻi heʻene vali honau ʻapi fakafāmilí.

Naʻá ne manatu, “Ko ha meʻa mātuʻaki fakamamahi ʻa e mole ʻeku tamaí ʻoku ou kei taʻu siʻí.” Ko e meʻa naʻe fakatupu loto-mamahi angé, ko ʻene tupu hake ʻikai tui ʻOtuá, naʻe ʻikai haʻane fakakaukau ki ha moʻui hili ʻa e maté. Hili ha ngaahi taʻu, naʻe tokoni ʻa e lea ʻa ʻEletā Niila A. Mekisuelé kia Pita ke mahino ʻa e mahuʻinga ʻo ʻene mamahí ʻi he taimi ko iá. Naʻe lea ʻa ʻEletā Mekisuele ʻo pehē, “Ka naʻe ʻikai ʻa e toetuʻú, ʻoku ʻikai ha ʻamanaki ʻe taha, ʻoku siva ai ʻa e ʻamanakí.”

ʻI he ʻikai maʻu ʻe Pita ha ʻilo ki he ʻOtuá mo ʻEne palani maʻatautolú, ʻokú ne manatuʻi, “Ko ʻeku fakakaukau ki he moʻuí ko e, ‘kai, mo inu, mo fiefia, he te tau mate ʻapongipongi.’ Fakafetaʻi, kuó u maʻu ha ʻilo lahi ange ʻi he taimí ni. ʻOku taʻefaʻalaua ʻene lelei angé!

Naʻe ako ʻa Pita ʻi he ʻUnivēsiti Vikatōliá ʻi Uelingatoni, pea ke tokoni ki heʻene akó, naʻá ne ako ai ʻi he Kautaha ʻAisi Kisipōní. Naʻá ne feʻiloaki ai mo ha kaungā ngāue ʻoku mateaki ʻi he tui faka-Kalisitiané. Naʻe pehē ʻe Pita, “Naʻe makehe ia mei he kau ngāue kehe naʻa mau ngāué. Naʻá ne tuʻu maʻu ʻi heʻene tuí ki ha tokotaha maʻongoʻonga ange. Naʻe tupu ai haʻaku fie ʻilo ʻo feʻunga ia ke u fakatau ha Tohi Tapu peá u kamata lau ia.”

Naʻe ʻaonga lahi ʻa e ngaahi lea ʻo e Tohi Tapú kia Pita—naʻá ne ʻiloʻi ʻoku moʻoni ʻa e tohí ni—ka naʻá ne fakatupu ai foki ha ngaahi fehuʻi lahi naʻe ʻikai hano tali. Naʻe pehē ʻe Pita, “Naʻá ku fekumi moʻoni ki ha ʻilo lahi ange.” Ka naʻe ʻikai ke ne loto ke kau ki ha faʻahinga siasi.

Naʻe maʻu ʻa e fakaʻilonga ako BA ʻo Pitá pea mali mo Falanisesi Mele Konitelo ʻi he taʻu 1970. Naʻá na hiki ki ʻAokalani pe maʻu ha fakaʻilonga ako tipiloma ʻa Pita mei he Kolisi Fakafaiako ʻAtimoá. Hili ha kiʻi taimi siʻi mei heʻena hiki ko iá, naʻe fakafeʻiloaki atu ha ongo faifekau ʻe toko ua mei he Siasi ʻo Sīsū Kalaisi ʻo e Kau Māʻoniʻoni ʻi he Ngaahi ʻAho Kimui Ní.

Naʻe manatu ʻa Pita ʻo pehē, “Naʻá ku loto ke mau fakatahá koeʻuhí naʻá na fotu mai ko ha kakai lelei, ka naʻe ʻikai ke u tui ki heʻena tui fakalotú.” Taimi tatau, naʻá na lau ʻa e tatau ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná naʻe tuku ange ʻe he ongo faifekaú kiate ia mo Falanisesí. Naʻe pehē ʻe Pita, “Naʻá ma ongoʻi ʻa e ongo tatau naʻá ma maʻu ʻi hono lau ʻo e Tohi Tapú. Naʻá ma ʻilo ʻoku moʻoni ia.

ʻI he foki mai ʻa e ongo faifekaú, naʻá ma pehē ange, ‘Sai, ʻokú ma tui ʻoku moʻoni ʻa e Tohi [ʻa Molomoná]. Ko e hā te ma fai ʻi he taimi ní?’ Ko e founga ia naʻá ma papitaiso aí.”

Kuó na hoko ko ha ongo mēmipa mālohi talu mei heʻena kau ki he Siasí ʻi he taʻu 1972, “pea ko ha fonongaʻanga fakaʻofoʻofa moʻoni ia!” Naʻe pehē ʻe Pita. Naʻe tokoniʻi kinaua ʻe he “kakai faʻa-kātaki, ʻofa mo manavaʻofa” ʻi he Uooti Papakulá ʻi he Siteiki ʻAokalani Sauté ke na liliu ki heʻene moʻui foʻoú ko ha Kāingalotu ʻo e Siasí, pea ʻi heʻena foki ki Kisipooni ʻi he fakaʻosinga ʻo e taʻú, naʻá na kau ki he Kolo Kisipooni 2 ʻi he Vahefonua Povetī Peí.

ʻI he taʻu 1976, naʻe hoko ai ʻa Pita ʻi hono taʻu 27 ko e palesiteni fakakoló. ʻI he hoko ʻa e vahefonuá ko ha siteikí, naʻá ne kamata ai ʻi ha uiuiʻi taʻu 9 ʻi he kau palesitenisī fakasiteikí, pea meimei taʻu ʻe 10 ko e palesiteni fakasiteiki. ʻI he taimi ko iá, naʻá ne talitali mo hono uaifi ko Falanisesí, ʻa hona ngaahi foha ʻe toko nimá ki hona fāmilí mo monūʻia ke ohi hake kinautolu ʻi he ongoongoleleí. ʻI he taʻu 1985, naʻe fili ai ʻe Pita ha ngāue maʻuʻanga paʻanga kehe—naʻá ne hoko ai ko ha tokotaha tauhi hone ʻi he taʻu ʻe 24 ʻo aʻu ki heʻene maʻu vāhenga mālōlō ʻi he taʻu 2009.

ʻOku pehē ʻe Pita, “Ko e taha ʻo e ngaahi meʻa mahuʻinga ʻi heʻema mēmipasipi ʻi he Siasí ko ʻema fili ke ngāue fakafaifekau taimi kakató.” ʻI hona uiuiʻi ki he Misiona Quezon City South ʻi he ʻOtu Filipainí, naʻe ʻave kinaua ki he motu ko Minitoló. “Ko ha aʻusia fakaʻofoʻofa, ʻa ia te ma manatuʻi maʻu pē, tautefito ki he tui mo e loto-fakatōkilalo ʻa e kakai ʻi aí.”

ʻI heʻena foki ki Nuʻu Silá, naʻe fakatau atu ʻe he ongo Pētí hona ʻapi ʻi Kisipōní, peá na nofo ʻi ha minipasi fakafale (caravan) ʻi ha taʻu ʻe taha kimuʻa peá na hiki atu ki Taupō, koeʻuhí ko ha kolo lelei pea vāofi mo e feituʻu ʻoku nofo ai hona ngaahi fohá mo honau ngaahi fāmilí. Naʻe hoko ʻa Pita ko e palesiteni ʻo e kōlomu ʻa e kaumātuʻá ʻi he Uooti Taupoó ʻo aʻu ki he Konifelenisi Fakasiteiki ʻa Lotolua ʻi he vaeuaʻanga ʻo e taʻu 2023, ʻi hono ui ia ko ha pēteliaké.

ʻI he vakai ʻa Pita ki he kuohilí, ʻokú ne fakatokangaʻi ʻa e toʻukupu ʻo e ʻOtuá ʻi hono tataki ia ki he ongoongolelei ʻo Sīsū Kalaisí pea mo ha moʻui naʻe taʻeʻamanekina. “ʻOku ou ʻiloʻi ʻeni ko e Laumālie Māʻoniʻoní ia ʻi hono fakamoʻoniʻi mai ʻo e moʻoní.”

ʻI heʻene hoko ko ha pēteliake naʻe toki uiuiʻi foʻoú, ʻokú ne lotua fakamātoato ke ne lava ʻo tokoni ki he kāingalotu kehé ke nau maʻu ʻa e tataki fakalangi tatau ʻoku fakafou ʻi he ngaahi tāpuaki makehe mo fakapatonu mei heʻetau Tamai Hēvaní.

“Te u fai hoku lelei tahá ke fakakakato [ʻa e uiuiʻi ko ʻení] ʻi he fakaʻapaʻapa mo e fatongia ʻoku ʻamanaki mai ʻa e ʻEikí ke u fakahokó. . . . Ko ha langilangi mo ha faingamālie lahi ia. ʻOku meimei lōmekina au ʻe he fatongiá . . . ka ʻoku ou maʻu ʻa e tui ʻoku fakafeʻungaʻi ʻe he ʻEikí ʻa ia ʻokú Ne uí.”