Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 6, 1 June 1992 — Democracy in action [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Democracy in action

Trustee Moanikeala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i

The historic April OHA board of trustees meeting was exciting. Democracy in action. The board meeting room was packed by our constituents' 'ohana of all ages coming with signs to tell their trustee representatives verbally that they want immediate reorganization and

changes in OHA. They were well-mannered though strong in their convictions. I don't know why Chairman Clayton Hee got administration to eall private security, sheriff's deputies and poliee. There was only one embarrassing ineident when a trustee got out of hand. Our eonstituents stated they were concerned, yet there in the spirit of Aloha. Because community concerns were not on the agenda (though they should automatically be a part of every board meeting), Chairman Hee was at first not going to allow constituents' eoncerns to be aired. I and other trustees raised objections. These po'e Hawai'i had eome from all over O'ahu to voice mana'o to their elected officials and should be given the dignity of being heard. So you must understand, good people,

that if there is dissension on the board, please don't be angry. Sometimes it's necessary, in a democracy, to set things straight. We can't all go sheepishly along when dictatorial tendencies are all too evident. The chairman called for a recess. This usually happens under this chairmanship, every time we approach a sensitive subject. Then it's time for a recess and the meeting goes "behind closed doors" with select trustees away from the eyes of our public and other trustees. Unele Tommy Kaulukukui, bless him, told Chairman Hee, "If we don't listen to the public concerns, they'll just show up at the next meeting." So "recess" was called and off to the chairman's office went an OHA attorney with five trustees in tow. It was then 11 a.m. The meeting was supposed to start at 9 a.m., but didn't until 10 a.m., and we still had not gotten past an OK of the agenda. Trustees Hao, Kaulukukui, Akana and I remained with this room full of Hawaiians because we fe!t they should have been allowed to speak, we owed them that right. It seemed like another hour before Hee and the other trustees returned to the board room. The chairman announced a continuation of the recess where he would allow several of our eonstituents to share their mana'o — whieh meant that their feelings would not become a part of the official meeting record.

Angel Pilago from Protect Kohanaiki 'Ohana near Kailua, Kona, flew in to tell trustees that he was very disturbed because funding to his group for a contested case hearing was kept off the agenda of our board meetings for three months by Chairman Hee and budget and finance chair Abraham 'Aiona. Kohanaiki, also known as "Pine Trees," is next to Kaloko-Honokohau National Park in Kona. It is not only culturally special, but is one of the few community recreahonal makai areas — good surfing, fishing and camping grounds open to Kailua area residents. Nansay of Japan has proposed plans at Kohanaiki for marina, golf courses, and a resort complex. U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink has moved to condemn a strip of that Nansay-owned coastline to become a part of the National Park. The National Park Service is also against Nansay's resort marina plans. They know it will damage the area and destroy the mana and sanctity of that 'aina. Kohanaiki 'ohana's recent request for kokua to intervene before the Hawai'i County Planning Commission eame through Louis Hao's land and eeonomie development committee last fall. There has been mueh trustee support to kokua this community eoneem to preserve and protect Kohanaiki. So why has this been stonewalled? Through our insistence, Kohanaiki was finally Continued on page 22

Trustee Akaka ,mmpa3ei8

placed on the BOT agenda at the May 14 meeting in Kona. Hawaiians and others of the Kailua community will be very interested in seeing if OHA will kokua to help malama and preserve this unique area as many non-Hawaiian individuals and organizations have. Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele from Waimanalo pointed out the eoneem that OHA get back on track to its original intent to "better the conditions of the Haweūian people." He pointed out "brothers are shooting eaeh other on the streets. Our people need kokua." It is ironic that as Bumpy was speaking the Rodney King verdict sparked riots in the streets of Los Angeles. It's important that we understand that, though to a different degree, it could happen here. Throughout history people "take it to the streets" when government is unresponsive to their needs and problems. I don't want pilikia here at home because Hawaiian problems continue to be ignored and put on the back burner. A great deal of healing has to go on here at home relative to the plight of the Hawaiian people. We are fortunate our eonstituents eame to our board meeting with Aloha. There is pain amongst our people. Now that OHA is finally beginning to get

resources, we have no excuse not to fund programs that will truly help the Hawaiian people. I have been waiting for two years for a health officer, as chair of the health and human services committee. My committee needs help to put together a supplementary health plan for all Hawaiians so that every Hawaiian will be able to obtain adequate health services — one of the greatest areas of need in the Hawaiian eommunity. The hope is to have a card that will enable Hawaiians to obtain health care. We at OHA finally have a iong-awaited housing officer. We shouid pour millions into housing and low-interest home loans, including loans for home repairs and expansion, and self-help housing as well as other alternatives.Many of the trustees were shocked at the April Board meeting to hear that a press conference was called by Chairman Clayton Hee with Norma Wong from the Office of State Planning to announee an agreement to a settlement that the trustees had not yet ratified. The problem is that Hee had meetings with Norma Wong and eame to an agreement behind closed doors. True. the figures discussed were agreed upon by state and OHA auditors. However, on the day of this so-called $112 mil-

lion agreement, OHA's auditors were stiil waiting for figures from the state so that we could truly know how mueh is owed OHA by the state. As a member of OHA's entitiements committee of three members chaired by Clayton Hee, 1 was appalled to hear, as were other trustees, of a press conference for settlement knowing our auditors had insufficient data. The figure of $112 million I ean agree on; however, the total is still incomplete. Our auditors will review more numbers on ceded land revenues to be provided by the state before any final agreement ean be reached by trustees. I had every right to raise my voice of eoneem at the board meeting wnile several other trustees also told the Honolulu Advertiser reporter that we are owed more. That is true! We trustees have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the Hawaiian people's best interests. We live in a tumultuous world and our Hawaiian Islands and Hawaiian people in the middle of the oeean are no longer isolated or on the periphery. Multi-national corporations have seen to that. Malama pono, ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono.