Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 1992 — Democrat stand on Hawaiian issues [ARTICLE]

Democrat stand on Hawaiian issues

by Norma Wong, Mary Aliee Evans and Jim Manke Hawai'i Democratic Party issues committee Ka Wai Ola O OHA: How has the Democratic Party supported Hawaiian issues, thus far? All four of the county Democratic Party platforms adopted in 1992 address Hawaiian issues, as does the platform adopted at the 1992 Democratic State Convention. Tbey commit party members, and elected Democratic officials to: •support and protect Native Hawaiian rights to land and water, •urge government support for necessary infrastructure to make Hawaiian lands habitable and productive; and • to support all efforts to meet the eeonomie and social needs of native Hawaiians and to maintain Hawaiian eulture and values. Above all, the state party platform is clear that: "As Democrats, we eall for the recognition by the United States government of its trustee obligations to the inhabitants of Hawai'i generally, and to native Hawaiians in particular." This language is included as part of the naeional Democratic party platform, Hawai'i is the only state mentioned by name in the naūonal platform, and the naūonal Democratic leadership is now committed to aeūon to reaffirm and support the United States govemment's obligaūons under the law. KWO: What are the party's plans to eonūnue support over the next elective term? In other words: Why should the Hawaiian voter vote for your party? Tbe issue is most eiiūeal at the naūonal

level. Despite the fact that many longtime Republicans support Native Hawaiian programs and rights, and that many loeal Republicans are Hawaiians, clearly it doesn't matter what they think, say or tell their President. The Republican administration has not listened in the past and will not in the future. Over the protests of loeal Republicans, the President and the Department of Jusūce opposed much-needed federal dollars for Hawaiian Home Lands. The President would not release ūie money, citing, of all things, civil rights. Our Democraūc congressional delegaūon has had to fight the Republican administration to keep the money coming for Hawaiian Home Lands and for many other Hawaiian programs. With a new Democratic administration in Washington, working with a Democraūc majority in Congress, a strong voice for Hawaiian programs is assured as a matter of principle to whieh Democrats have pledged their support. KWO: In what concrete ways will the party support Hawaiian self-determi-nation, selfgovernance/restitution? Concrete steps that are already underway right now include: •Under the heading of "Making the Trust Whole and Stronger," cleaning up State breacbes of the Hawaiian Home Lands trust through the work of the Task Force on DHHL Title and Related Claims. •Pushing the federal government to acknowledge its breaches of trust from 1921 to statehood. •Supporūng the process by whieh individual Hawaiian Home Land beneficiaries ean collect on claims for damages suffered because of breaches of trust.