Semisi Kioa Lafu Sika (born 31 January 1968) is a

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

n politician, businessman, and Member of the Tongan Parliament from 2010 to 2021. He served as acting

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

in September 2019, following the death of

ʻAkilisi Pōhiva Samiuela ʻAkilisi Pōhiva (7 April 1941 – 12 September 2019) was a Tongan pro-democracy activist and politician. A key leader of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands (DPFI), he served as the Prime Minister of Tonga from 2014 to his ...

. He is currently leader of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands.

Career and activism

Sika is from Haveluloto, and was educated at

Brigham Young University–Hawaii Brigham Young University–Hawaii (BYU–Hawaii) is a private college in Laie, Hawaii, United States. It is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). BYU–Hawaii was founded in 1955 and it became a sate ...

, gaining a Bachelor of Science. Before entering politics he worked as a teacher and travel agent, and ran a takeaway shop and catering firm. He is a longstanding supporter of the democratic movement in Tonga. In 2007 he was one of three people, including

Human Rights and Democracy Movement The Human Rights and Democracy Movement (HRDM) is a political party in Tonga. Its leader is Uliti Uata. It states its ideology to be democracy, social justice, Anti-corruption, opposition to corruption, and women's rights. The HRDM was founded i ...

leader

, who were prosecuted for their leadership of a protest march in June 2006. He was found not guilty and discharged.

Political career

A member of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands, Sika was elected to Parliament in the seat of Tongatapu 2 in the 2010 elections. He was re-elected in the

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and became Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House. In April 2016 he was appointed Minister of Tourism and Infrastructure. Following the

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

election Sika was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. in July 2019 there were calls for his resignation after he intervened to silence a speech against bullying and sexism at the Miss Pacific pageant in Tonga. He became acting premier following the death of Prime Minister ʻAkilisi Pōhiva on 12 September 2019. He contested the Premiership, but was defeated by

Pōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa (30 June 1951 – 18 March 2023) was a Tongan accountant and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Tonga from 2019 to 2021. Tu'i'onetoa succeeded Semisi Sika, who had served as acting prime minister, since ...

by eight votes to fifteen. Sika continues to lead the DPFI. In December 2020 he submitted a motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Tuʻiʻonetoa. He contested the 2021 Tongan general election, but was unsuccessful.

References

, - , - , - , - , - 1968 births Living people Tongan politicians Prime ministers of Tonga Deputy prime ministers of Tonga Members of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands politicians Tongan businesspeople People from Tongatapu Brigham Young University–Hawaii alumni {{Tonga-politician-stub