ʻEletā Gerrit W. Gong

ʻO e kau Fitungofulú

ʻOku ʻiloʻi ʻe ʻEletā Sēleti Uolotā Kongi ʻa e mālohi ʻo e lotú pea ʻoku ʻi ai e palani ʻa e Tamai Hēvaní maʻa ʻEne fānaú. ʻI he kei siʻi ʻa ʻEletā Kongí, ne puke lahi ʻa ʻene fineʻeikí. ʻOkú ne manatuʻi ne lotu “ʻi he lea mo e ngaahi ongoʻi ʻa ha kiʻi tamasiʻi” ke ne moʻui.

ʻOku pehē ʻe ʻEletā Kongi, “ʻOku tali mai ʻa e ngaahi lotú ʻi ha ngaahi founga kehekehe pea ʻi ha ngaahi taimi kehekehe ʻi heʻetau moʻuí, ka ʻi he taimi ko iá pea ʻoku ou fakamālō ai, naʻá ku ongoʻi peá u ʻiloʻi ʻe toe sai. Talu mei he taimi ko iá mo ʻeku ʻiloʻi ʻoku fanongo mai ʻa e Tamai Hēvaní ki heʻetau ngaahi lotú, pea ʻokú Ne tali ia ʻi Heʻene potó mo e founga pē ʻAʻana.”

Kuo aʻusia ʻe ʻEletā Kongi ʻa e toutou fetuʻutaki ongongofua ko ia mo ha Tamai ʻofa ʻo ne pehē ʻoku kau ai ʻa ʻene mali mo hono uaifí, ʻohake ʻa ʻene fānaú, fakahoko ha ngaahi fili ʻi he akó mo e ngāue maʻuʻanga moʻuí pea mo e ngāue ʻi he Siasí.

Kimuʻa pea uiuiʻi ia ki he Kōlomu ʻUluaki ʻo e Kau Fitungofulú, ne hoko ʻa ʻEletā Kongi ko ha aleaʻanga māʻolunga, kulupulita ʻo e taulaʻeiki lahí, tokoni ʻi he kau palesitenisī fakasiteiki ʻo e Lautohi Faka-Sāpaté, faiako semineli, pīsope, palesiteni fakafaifekau fakasiteiki, palesiteni fakasiteiki mo ha Fitungofulu Fakaʻēlia.

ʻI hono tuʻunga fakangāué, ne hoko ʻa ʻEletā Kongi ko ha Tokoni Makehe ki he Tokoni Sekelitali (Under Secretary) ʻa e Puleʻangá ʻi he Potungāue ʻa e Puleʻanga ʻAmeliká (U.S. State Department) pea ko ha Tokoni Makehe ki he ʻAmipasitoa ʻAmelika ki Peisingi ʻi Siainá. Naʻá ne ngāue foki ʻi ha ngaahi fatongia kehekehe ʻi he Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) ʻi Uasingatoni D.C. ʻi ʻAmeliká. ʻI he taimi ne uiuiʻi ai iá, ne lolotonga ngāue ko e tokoni ki he palesiteni ʻo e ʻunivēsiti Pilikihami ʻIongí ʻo fatongia ʻaki e palaní mo e fakafuofuaʻi e ngāué.

Ne fāʻeleʻi ʻa ʻEletā Kongi kia Uolotā mo Sini Kongi ʻi Tīsema 1953 pea tupu hake ʻi Palo Ato ʻi Kalefōnia. Naʻe maʻu hono mataʻitohi B.A. mei he ʻUnivēsiti Pilikihami ʻIongí ʻi he ako ʻunivēsití mo e ako ki ʻĒsiá (Asian studies). Ne maʻu hono M.A. mo hono PhD ʻi he fetuʻutaki fakavahaʻapuleʻangá mei he ʻUnivēsiti ʻOkesifōtí pea naʻá ne maʻu ai ʻa e sikolasipi Loatasí (Rhodes Scholar).

Naʻá ne ngāue fakafaifekau ki he Misiona Tauaní pea naʻá ne mali kimui ange mo Sūsana Linisī ʻi he Temipale Sōlekí ʻi Sānuali ʻo e 1980. ʻOku ʻi ai haʻana fānau tangata ʻe toko fā.