Sevele made the comments when he welcomed foreign and local journalists at a cocktail party here.
International media reports have criticized the government for spending $2.5 million for the weeklong celebrations, saying the money could be better spent on the improving the livelihoods of the poor.
Sevele claims that majority of the Tongan people support government’s spending on the coronation.
“For us it’s part and parcel of our life and despite what people may say about the need to have it, we Tongans, I would say 99 percent of us Tongans would never allow that to be given up,” he said.
“We are the only remaining kingdom in Polynesia. There has been criticism of the cost of the coronation. I on behalf the government, on behalf of the great majority of Tongans make no apologies for that fact that we are spending money to have this celebration,” he added.
Sevele said Tonga is proud of her culture and traditions and will not be influenced by outside pressure.
“The monetary part of it is only one part of it. The sense of celebration, the sense of belonging, the sense of having a monarch is something that is too important for us to let go. Sometimes that cannot be compared with money,” he said.
“What we wanted to concentrate on was to ensure there would be peace, stability and there would be moves toward greater prosperity within the country.”
