Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 1995 — Dante's lnferno! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Dante's lnferno!

Moanike'ala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i On Dante Carpenter's ouster from OHA - it brings forth my worst fears for OHA and consequently the funding of necessary projects to benefit the Hawaiian people. Fear that is bom of the dominance of the petty over the "all" - the inability to see

and recognize a job well done within the organization. Dante's performance was satisfactory at least, and many areas well done. And I say this as a Trustee who voted in favor of another for the task of administrator of OHA in January 1994. 1 am disappointed and angry at this decision because the Hawaiian people need OHA

to continue improving its impact in addressing concerns confronting the Hawaiian and larger community. An unwarranted change in leadership detracts from OHA's constructive momentum to

accomplish our Mission. The scurrilous allegation that Dante is guilty of financiai mismanagement and misappropriation of funds is absurd. So what is the message sent out by this unnecessary changing of the administrator? First, that intemal squabbling, manipulating and malfunctioning is the greatest impediment to OHA's success; second,

that the pettiness of charges against Dante Carpenter reveal a sad laek of wisdom and political maturity whieh dominates the present majority of OHA's Board of Trustees. My minority opinion is a plea of reconsideration and reversal lest this organization be doomed to self-destruct through mthless pettiness of

mind and irresponsibility to the tmst of the Hawaiian people as well as all the citizens of Hawai'i who hope for an anchor of pragmatism in the swollen seas of sovereignty. As Trustee for the past 1 1 years, I

ean honestly say that Dante is the best, most open administrator this office has ever had! I hope to find a way to keep Dante Carpenter on as lead administrator and I ask you Hawaiians to remember those who rewarded a job well done with dismissal from service. "Hawaiians," something is wrong! In most job evaluations, recommendations for improvement are made and a probationary period is set to see if the employee has improved performance; this is tme with or without a contract. In this case, there are inaccuracies in the minority opinion written by Tmstee Billie Beamer of the ad hoe Committee to Evaluate the Administrator. Beamer's exaggerated minority opinion was voted for by Tmstees DeSoto, Akana, Keale, Kamali'i and Beamer. I was accused by a Tmstee of being a "bleeding heart"; my heart does bleed for the lost human resources among our people. There are those who would ignore the suffering of body and spirit substituting an

enema of numeiieal statistics and political correctness for the compassion and humanity of aloha. It should be remembered that OHA's stock portfolio has grown from $150 million to almost $200 million and the Deloitte and Touche audit says we "should be providing more programs for the Hawaiian people! !" As of this writing, there has been no compromise on the part of the five Trustees fixed in their determination to "fire" Carpenter. This, unfortunately, will lead to Dante's suing OHA as these five are very mueh aware. The defamatory and inaccurate remarks in Beamer's "opinion" will fuel this lawsuit whieh will hinder and spoil the spirit of our mission to the Hawaiian people. I, as Trustee, am adamantly opposed to the wasteful expense of a million dollars or more in unnecessary legal fees and leave it for the Hawaiian pieople to remember the five who unwittingly endanger the resources and progress of the Hawaiian people. Mālama Pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.