Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 1999 — Keeping the faith in transitional times [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Keeping the faith in transitional times

i-aitn is tne oua tnat teeis tne ngntana sings when the dawn is still dark" George Helm

ON DEC 1, a week after the selection of Trustee Rowena Akana as BOT chairperson and Trustee Hannah Springer as BOT vice-chairperson, trustees were provided with a copy of the new leadership's proposed committee assignments and key positions. The committees membership is listed on page 1 of this issue: In the two weeks following the reorganization of the board, the following measures were implemented: • Trustees were ordered to move offices within a day's notice. • Armed ofificers from the State Publie Safety Division were hired to remove "disruptive" Beneficiaries ffom OHA Board meetings. • An "out of order" policy on beneficiaries speaking on matters not on the agenda was imposed. • The 12th floor reception room doors with signs indicating "authorized person-

nel only beyond this point" were installed.

• Beneficiaries and staff have been restricted lfom using the OHA boardroom, aside from OHA board, committee and the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund meetings. • Trustee keys to the OHA boardroom were confiscated with the requirement of stafif to now sign-out for use of the keys. • The budget analyst assigned to the Committee on Budget and Finance was informed to submit his resignation

immediately. • The new BOT Chairperson has not provided a vision of direction for OHA.

• OHA's Administrator has requested an opinion on his authority to reoiganize without board approval from the OHA board attorney Thp np\x/ R/$-F P nmmittpp rhair ctat-

ed that he intends to "revisit" OHA's bien-

mum ouugei passeu oy the board on Nov. 2. [Meetings were held by the Committee on Budget and Finance on Oct. 5, 23, 26, and 27 to review and approve a hiennium budget to be referred to the BOT for final disposition. Trustee Hee only attended the first meeting, stating the process being exercised was a waste of time.] This purposeless direction resurrects the state auditor's comments of 1990, 1993 and 1997, whereby OHA was criti-

cized for its laek of guidanee, inadequate program management planning and laek of a program monitoring system. The state

auditor also warned that the laek of board direction would eonhnue to breed discontent and cautioned against trustees' circumventing communication channels. The Native Hawaiian beneficiaries are facing hard times not only from the state or legislature, but also from the very agency whieh is supposed to look out for their interests. The bullets indicate a eontrolling leadership that is excluding rather than including trustees and beneficiari.es . Moreover, these bullets indicate a deterioration of the accountabihty process whieh was just beginning to emerge under the previous leadership. OHA must be accountable to its beneficiaries, just as the state is accountable to its citizens and the legislature is accountable to its constituents. Through the trying times of Kaho'olawe, George Helm held fast to his values while striving to restore justice for our 'āina and po'e Hawai'i. Likewise, OHA and its tmstees, who are obhgated as fiduciaries to Native Hawaiians and Hawaiians, must maintain integrity through these transitional times. E kūpa'a i kou mana'o'i'o. ■

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TRUSTEE MESSAGES

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