Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 6, 1 June 1993 — Help chart OHA's course [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Help chart OHA's course

by the Rev. Moses K. Keale, Sr. Trustee, Kaua'i & Ni'ihau "There is hereby established an Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs shall holā title to all real and personal property now or hereafter set aside or conveyed to it whieh shall be held in trust for the native Hawaiian and Hawaiian." (Hawai'i State Constitution, XII Sec. 5) This trust, established for you and your children, belongs to you

and all Hawaiians who shall eome thereafter. This office is the ship by whieh the trust is delivered. The staff of the office is its crew and the leaders (the administration and trustees) are its commanders, but even a sound and

worthy ship must have a rudder, good helmsmen.

and an agreed- upon destination. Whether by map, star chart or dead reckoning, the voyages of the Hōkūle'a have proven this again and again. A ship without a united leadership and a clearly defmed destination embarks on a journey of futility and runs the danger of hitting the doldrums. After 13 years of defining and redefining its mission, OHA finally documented its plan in 1989. A comprehensive master program, entitled a "Blueprint for Hawaiian Entitlements", was declared as the first draft of a

focused, long term program for accomplishments. But a plan is simply an itinerary and must be accepted by the people for whom the plan is intended. In the words of Chairman Thomas Kaulukukui in 1 989— "I

eall the Blueprint a starting point, because it is not a

final document. This Blueprint will not be complete until every Hawaiian has had a ehanee to examine it, discuss it, and make suggestions for change." Meetings were scheduled and held to gather input on the draft Blueprint. After mueh testimony and response from the eommunity, OHA agreed to revise and redraft the

Blueprint using input from the community. OHA also promised to conduct more

hearings on the new draft. The final Blueprint, whieh was to be reviewed and approved by our community, would be used to form the basis for legislation and lobbying efforts in Congress to achieve the goals agreed upon by the native Hawaiian community. These were promises made by our institution. An institution is only as strong as its ability to live up to its basic promises ... only as strong as its credibility with its beneficiaries.

Of the three federal draft bills sent to Sen. Inouye's office in 1992, one is seriously flawed, another is presumptuous and the third needs input from the affected beneficiary class. No formal hearings have been held on these documents and the public input process has been limited to meetings of the former OHA

Committee on Sovereignty. Our ship has set sail on the open seas. You are the passengers of this ship. You are paying for the joumey. Would you purchase a ticket on a ship without knowing where it was going? Would you buy a tour to a plaee you do not want to visit? I am greatly concerned and troubled by what appears to be a growing laek of good faith by OHA in fulfilling our promises to the community. To me a

promise and a promise not kept goes against the strong Hawaiian value of keeping true to the words that have been spoken. There are some who remember the promises and others who conveniently forget. But whatever the agreements of disagreements we may have as leaders, it is you, the Hawaiian beneficiary, the passenger of

this great sailing vessel who should be able to choose your destination. This is

your ship! Please be part of its destiny. I ean only do my job with your support. I must know where you stand. Your silence is deafening and dangerous! Contact me at OHA or on Kaua'i. A i mana'o kekahi e lilo po'okela i waena o 'oukou, e pono no e lilo ia i kauwa nā 'oukou. Nā ke Akua e mālama a e alaka'i ia kākou apau.

"This is your ship! Please be a part of its destiny. I ean only do my job with your support. I must know where you stand."