Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 11, 1 November 1990 — The 1990 elections and Hawaiian issues [ARTICLE]

The 1990 elections and Hawaiian issues

By Deborah Lee Ward Editor, Ka Wai Ola O OHA In this November 1990 special election issue of Ka Wai Ola O OHA, we have invited candidates in the OHA election, and major federal and state races to present their statements to answer the questions "What do you think is the most important issue facing Native Hawaiians and OHA in the next five years? What steps would you take, or what course would you follow to address that • _ J»0 issue ? Ka Wai Ola O OHA invites its readers to read the following article whieh summarizes the major Hawaiian issues as seen by OHA and others in the community, and to determine whieh candidates are most knowledgeable and responsive to the Hawaiian issues of the 1990s, whaeh may become "the decade of the Hawaiian." « OHA and the pursuit of Hawaiian rights The Office of Hawaiian Affairs was established by a 1978 state constitutional amendment to "promote the betterment of conditions of Hawaii- >» ans. ■ In carrying out its founding purpose, OHA eontinues to seek: • resolution and settlement of Native Hawaiian claims for lands and sovereignty illegally taken without consent or compensation to the Hawaiian people; • recognition of the inherent right of self-deter-mined governance; • and the protection and practice of native rights for current and future generations of all Native Hawaiians. In 1982, OHA submitted to the Native Hawaii-

ans Study Commission a report entitled "Reparations and Restitution," whieh set out four general principles to bring native Hawaiians into the modern era of federal Native Amenean relations: 1) acknowledgement by the U.S. of the wrongful taking of Hawaiian land; 2) provisions of selfgovernment for native Hawaiians; 3) provision of a land base for native Hawaiians; and 4) monetary compensation."

The OHA long-range plan, I Luna A'e (moving upward) was begun with these component parts. An enrollment program has been underway since July 1989 to register all Hawaiians, establish a validated genealogy base, and develop the first true demographic information to identify Hawaiian wants and needs. continued page 33

Native Hawaiians in OHA Elections Renistration Voter turnout

Hawaiian issues in the 1990 elections continued from page 1

Ceded land entitlements A major step forward in fulfillment of the OHA mandate was achieved this year when the 1990 Legislature passed the clarified OHA ceded !and entitlements act. The new law will provide OHA its past due and future revenues from the use of state ceded lands. This ceded land trust entitlement must be used for the betterment of Native Hawaiians of 50 percent or more Hawaiian blood. OHA trustees have been working with the Governor's office and other state departments to work out the fiscal details of the entitlement package and the method of payment, whieh may consist of moneys and/or land. As promised during the announcement of the ceded land package in January of this year, OHA trustees and the Governor's office are also working to develop an assured entitlement to benefit Hawaiians regardless of blood quantum. This second trust is necessary because, though the law mandates OHA to serve all Hawaiians, the ceded land trust funds are restricted to serving only native Hawaiians. As a consequence, eaeh year OHA must seek matching general funds to fulfill its charge to better conditions of all Hawaiians. Establishing this second trust will allow OHA at last to address the needs of the full Hawaiian population. Resolving problems of the DHHL trust Many OHA trustee candidates and candidates in other races named the need to resolve problems of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands trust a major issue. Many felt OHA should utilize its ceded land trust revenues to resolve the infrastructure and construction needs of DHHL, though OHA's mandate is mueh broader than housing.

However, DHHL is a separate trust, whieh numerous recent hearings have stressed that it is the responsibility of both the state and federal governments to fulfill. The state is starting to accept its responsibility. For the first time in DHHL's history, funding to cover departmental administration costs and inihal funding for infrastructure development has been included in the executive budget. A plan for a DHHL funding package is being developed by DHHL and the governor's office to address this long-standing insufficjency. Like the OHA trust clarification, such plans are responding to a "right to sue" requirement that past controversies related to the two existing trusts must be resolved and presented to the Legislature in 1991. Sovereignty and self-determination The issue of Hawaiian sovereignty and selfdetermination was raised by many candidates, in particular candidates for OHA trustee. Clearly, there is a growing awareness and consensus in the Hawaiian community that broader self-govern-anee must be pursued. Continuing the work it began with development of the draft blueprint for Native Hawaiian federal claims, OHA will be looking toward development of sovereignty models at both nahonal and state levels and sponsoring discussions among all native Hawaiians for an understanding and preliminary screening of options. The return of Kaho'olawe On the eve of the eleehon, the U.S. Senate approved legislation to establish a seven-member commission composed of U.S. Navy, state, OHA and other representatives to examine the issue

and recommend how to return the 45-acre mile military target island of Kaho'olawe to the people of Hawai'i. This legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Daniel Inouye and Sen. Dan Akaka, is part of the fiscal 1991 defense appropriations bill. The measure would bring a halt to bombing of the island and empowers the commission to work out the specific terms of the return and other conditions. As Ka Wai Ola O OHA went to press, this measure was headed for a joint Senate-House conference committee. What had onee been viewed as a "radical" Hawaiian issue is now embraced by virtually all of Hawaii's populahon, state leaders, and is now receiving nahonal attention, through the efforts of Sens. Akaka and Inouye and Rep. Pat Saiki. Onee returned, Kaho'olawe will be the first major return of military lands in Hawai'i. Attention must now be paid to who will clear the island of unexploded ordnance, and who will pay this cost. The question of the eleanup may set the standard for any future return of land now used by the military for live firing. Makua valley, Pohakuloa, Mokapu and other areas will be affected. More important, when will the "safe" lands like Bellows, the Wai'anae-Kai military Reservation Recreation Center (Pokai Bay) and assorted military golf courses, be returned to their rightful owners? And who is the rightful owner — the state? or native Hawaiians? "Hawaiian issues" gain wider attention How all of these issues are faced and decided will have profound effects on all Hawaiians. But the truly encouraging thing is that what were onee basically "Hawaiian issues" are becoming active elements in all levels of politics — and as such, are now state and even national issues.

Thousands Data Source: State Elections Office 7n 60 '• ; 50 4 . H 1 I , 1 r40. 1 rl ' : ^ 1 30 — — — i i — 20 [ ■' L ! 1 1 10 i li : 1 1 HHHI — -i i— o MMi ■■■ ■■■i 1 1 Nov. 1988 Oct. 1990 Nov. 1988 Nov. 1990 63,452 65,505 48.238 ?