Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 5, 1 June 1984 — Travesty of Justice [ARTICLE]

Travesty of Justice

by Rodney Kealiimahiai Burgess Trustee-at-Laree

There is nothing good that ean be said of the recent trial and conviction of my brother trustee Walter Ritte. It was a travesty of justice, politically motivated by State ofFicials who perceive Walter and OHA as threats to their interests. If anything, however, the case and the State Attorney General's subsequent delcaration that Walter must step elown as trustee upon hissentencing July 10, has brought to a head the issue of OHA's broad powers and the extent to whieh it was created to govern the affairs of Hawaiian people.

As yet, those powers have not been clearly defined, and Walter's case presents us with an excellent opportunity to further clarify OHA s autonomy. The

issue at hand is whether the State ean forcib!y remove Walter from office if he should hold fast to his decision to not step down voluntarily. In my opinion, the Attorney General's statement is another example of the State's attempt to usurp OHA's powers and continue its control over our destinies. We are experiencing today the disastrous results whieh have occurred because we have allowed the State and others to control our resources and lives.

For example, our land resources whieh are considerable and include ceded lands (1.2 million acres), Bishop Estate (350,000 acres), Hawaiian Home Lands (200,000 acres),and the Liliuokalani Trust (80,000 acres) have not always been managed in the best interest of their Hawaiian beneficiaries. As a result we