As an assemblyman, he has opposed Kiribati's relations with China and spoken in favour of smaller family sizes to limit the effects of overpopulation and climate change.

[7] Part of Tabai's image was based on his rejection of elitism and protocol;[10][11] the meetings he held on the outer islands were informal,[7] he often rode the bus,[10] and he was known to ride his bicycle to the shops without a shirt or shoes.

[13] Tabai led an active campaign against the Ratieta administration, critical of its focus on urbanization at the expense of the outer islands and its decision to create a defence force.

Accepting that any of them would make an agreeable chief minister, Tabai and Roniti Teiwaki agreed not to campaign around the nation as they were already well-known relative to the other two.

The youngest candidate of the election, Tabai was only 27 years old when he took the office; although elder status was a significant qualifier in Kiribati, voters prioritised his understanding of government.

[20] Tabai carefully balanced his ministry picks when organising his government, ensuring that there was representation for the north, central, and south regions, for both Catholics and Protestants, and for unions.

He travelled to London and Washington D.C. in June 1978, leading a delegation that included two ministers, two expatriate civil servants, and two advisers from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

[22] Here he negotiated arrangements for financial support from the United Kingdom as the resource that made up the majority of Kiribati's economy, phosphate, was depleted.

[22] Tabai believed that Australia and New Zealand would be necessary allies after independence, and he criticized them for giving disproportionate aid to the Pacific nations that they had previously held as territories.

[24] As negotiations dragged into October and November, Tabai declared that he would not waver in his opposition to an autonomous Banaba, saying that the Gilbert Islands had the "absolute right to proceed to independence with its territorial integrity intact".

[28] The large independence celebration was Tabai's first test as the new president, requiring that he manage the many influential figures who visited over the next two days.

[33] Kiribati moved toward a subsistence economy, and it cut funding for public services which included the operation of only a basic primary health care system.

[34] Tabai opposed the development of a tourism industry, fearing that the small island nation could be overwhelmed by a surge of wealthy tourists.

[36] Tabai's efforts to promote development and quality of life in the outer islands through the construction of schools and government administration proved unsuccessful.

[37] Constitutional law professors Yash Ghai and Jill Cottrell described Tabai's presidency as "quieter" than the neighbouring Pacific leaders who dominated their nations' politics.

[40] One of the key conflicts of Tabai's presidency began in 1980 when the general workers union Botaki ni Karikirakean Aroia Taan Makuri led a strike.

[44] His government introduced a bill in December to correct a salary discrepancy for six statutory officers, but the opposition challenged it as a means to attack Tabai politically.

[46] The 1983 parliamentary election was held on 12 and 19 January 1983. and it brought Tabai a net increase of two supporters in the House of Assembly,[47] bringing him a majority with 19 of 32 assemblymen.

[50] Tabai justified the decision as a means for Kiribati to be self-sufficient and forgo British financial support,[51] saying that fish were the only major resource the nation had.

[53] The domestic political dispute fell along religious lines, as the Bishop of Tarawa condemned the agreement and rallied Catholics against it as a deal with a godless nation, while Protestants generally supported it.

[56] Once it was in place, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States began pouring money into the region through financial support and rival fishing rights agreements.

[59] Tong filed a new injunction after they were both nominated on the presidential ballot, but he dropped out before the ruling, so the court found that he again lacked standing against Tabai.

[58] Tabai was re-elected as president with 50.1% of the vote, but the opposition gained a larger share than in previous elections, in part because of lingering resentment among voters over the Soviet fishing agreement.

[72] Tabai's selection for reappointment as Secretary-General in 1994 drew backlash from the Fijian government, which felt that its own candidate Filipe Bole had been sidelined.

[73] In May 1996, he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia for "service to Australian-Pacific Islands countries relations, particularly as Secretary-General to the South Pacific Forum".

The government ordered that it cease operations shortly after, and the police opened an investigation for broadcasting without a license and for constructing a radio antennae without authorisation.

[77] The government refused them when they requested a license,[78] and they received fines of $A35 each on 8 December 1999 after pleading guilty to importing and operating radio equipment without authorisation.

[76] While he was working on creating a radio station, Tabai founded a newspaper, the Newstar, with his brother and Siau Smith, an I-Kiribati woman from Melbourne.

[84] Along with the rest of the opposition, Tabai opposed the shift of Kiribati's foreign policy to favour of China in 2019, arguing that Taneti Maamau only made the decision to help his government win the next election.

[85] Tabai opposed the country's withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum in 2022, criticising the government for making the decision without consulting members of parliament or the public.