Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 1993 — Sen. Inouye's message: [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Sen. Inouye's message:

The observance of Queen Lili'uokalani's overthrow and the demise of the govemment of the Kingdom of Hawai'i should be a time for

remembrance and reflection, and a time for action. We should remember that the beloved Queen's overthrow was a dark page in the history of our n a t i o n . Unquestionably, her overthrow

was illegal - a violation ot tederal as well as intemational law - a clear violation of mutual treaty obligations. It was a sad and blatant demonstration of the wrongful use of military might. It is a time for reflection on the peaceful nature of the people of Hawai'i at the time of the Queen's Overthrow - a peaceful people who had never sought the aggressive takeover of others' lands, a peaceful people who opened their doors to neweomers and foreigners, a peaceful people who did not feel the necessity of maintaining a military force because it did not coincide with their noble, albeit innocent, view of international relations.

And 1 hope that with such remembrances and reflections, the people of Hawai'i will join in a eommon cause for action. I have long maintained that sovereignty is not extinguished by illegal action. But sovereignty will remain dormant as long as people entitled to it do not seek to restore it, and as long as people in positions to assist in the restoration do not do so. I hope that this observance, although it may not result in the immediate restoration of sovereignty, will cause Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians to study this matter with great care and open

minds. In preparation for this restoration of sovereignty, many have spent many years working toward that day, notwithstanding

the opposition of the government of the United States. We in Hawai'i have insisted on the existence of a unique trust relationship between native Hawaiians and the United States government, notwithstanding the opposition of the

government of the United States. And to that end, we have been able to convince the congress to enact over 43 federal laws benefitting native Hawaiians, including special legislation such as . the native Hawaiian heahh care improvement act, the native Hawaiian education act, the Native Amenean programs act, the Native Amenean grave protection and repatriation act, and we are now working on native Hawaiian amendments to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

But the agenda remains unfulfilled. Our work has only started. Because to bring about the restoration of long dormant sovereignty, the people of Hawai'i must convince themselves that sovereignty is just, morally correct and legal. And we must convince the govemments of the United States, the State of Hawai'i, and our several eounties to act in concert to make this goal possible. As always, I stand ready to do my part. Finally, I wish to congratulate the leadership and members of the native Hawaiian community for organizing this historic observation of Queen Lili'uokalani's overthrow. Future generations will hail this day.