Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 1998 — A focused board gets the job done [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A focused board gets the job done

HAVE RECEIVED eommunications from beneficiaries who are concerned with the board's current inability to create a process for the appointment of an interim trastee. I am told I have a fiduciary duty to maintain the integrity of the ceded lands trast and the autonomous nature of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. I am also told I must not allow the govemor to choose Trastee Beamer's replacement. The law orders the current Board of Trastees to act diligently to choose a replacement. Are we acting diligently? Are we traly making an honest effort to handle our own affairs? Chairperson DeSoto, who was elected in a democratic process, has made every effort and eompromise to begin this replace-

ment process to achieve the selection of an interim trastee by the board. While it is trae that differing opinions often make for sound and thoughtful decisions, this has not been the case with our inability to replace Trastee Beamer. I wonder whether these differences are based on the issues, egos or want of power. As we eonhnue to straggle along this path of insurmountable obstacles, I am reminded of the many years of straggle it took to stop the bombing of Kaho'olawe and the continued persistence of Waiāhole-Waikāne residents to save their community. These straggles are the result of differing opinions. Yet, we manage to survive and lay forth a path of goodness and righteousness to make our way of life pono.

Over the past three months, OHA has made tremendous strides, amidst the factionalization that exists. People should know that the board took a giant leap forward this month by

approving matching funds of $1 ,000,000 for the Administration for Native Americans' Native Hawaiian Social and Eeonomie Development Project. This is the first time the ANA has offered a Hawai'i-specific grant program where Hawaiians will be the benefactors. There was no factionalization in this action. When the final roll eall vote was taken, Aiona, Akana, Apoliona, Hee, Machado, Springer and Desoto voted together. Your trastees continued to agree and approve several more action items in like manner: • $22,523 for the Native Hawaiian Health Summit; • $15,000 for theHonolulu Theater for Youth to support two plays, "Ka Wai Ola " and " Eddie Would Go ;" and •$1.1. million for the

development of Kūlana 'Ōiwi, in support of a multi-service center whieh will house the major Hawaiian agencies providing services on the island of Moloka'i. Therefore, despite the seeming laek of quoram maintained in the committee meetings, we have been able to get the job done by waiving pending issues from the committee level directly to the BOT for full board approval, usually achieving quoram in the process. Henee, the presumption that the board is factionalized is not entirely accurate. Now more than ever we need to focus on the issues and not the individuals or their personalities. By the time this is published , the list of candidates will be completed. I want to beheve that democracy and justice ean be served. We must stand pa'a! ■

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