Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 2, 1 February 1999 — Responding to the Ha Hawāiʻi apologists [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

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Responding to the Ha Hawāiʻi apologists

HAYDEN BURGESS, aka Pōkā Laenui, and others do not get the point. Ka Lāhui Hawai'i is a native initiative for self-government. It represenLs the perspective of the Hawaiian peoples. Its officers are elected by Hawaiians. Hā Hawai'i is a state initiative. It stems from state legislation. Hā Hawai'i itself was created by the Hawai'i State Sovereignty Elections Council (HSEC), a state body appointed by the governor. Neither HSEC nor Hā Hawai'i leaders were elected by the Hawaiian peoples. No one challenged the Ka Lāhui elections because the Hawaiian people support Ka Lāhui Hawai'i,The United Nations and other intemational bodies do not oversee eleeūon processes of native nations, but they do monitor and report on state pohtical processes and elections that are imposed on indigenous peoples. This is why the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organizations (UNPO) eame to Hawai'i in 1996 to investigate and report on the HSEC/Hā Hawai'i vote _ because it was state-created and because it was being imposed on Hawaiians by state law. The UNPO report, ballots, data on burned ballots and other materials on the fraudulent HSEC vote have been provided not only

to intemational bodies, but, will also be made available to the United States Senate and Congressional representatives if Hā Hawai'i tries to move its state proposal to Washington, D.C. In the meanhme, United Nations

experts, including Madame Daez of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, have not endorsed the HSEC/Hā Hawai'i scam as reported by Mr. Burgess

The Hawaiian peoples oppose the Hā Hawai'i initiative. If anyone doubts this, read the last page of the January issue of Ka Wai Ola o OHA. Several respected kumu hula and Hawaiian leaders ran an ad against the Hā Hawai'i vote in that

issue. On Jan. 17, these and other Hawaiian leaders demonstrated their opposition to Hā Hawai'i at the 'Iolani Palaee. Too bad Burgess and the Hā Hawaiians weren't there to talk with the kumu hula

who are the keepers of our cultural traditions to find out why they oppose Hā Hawai'i. The Hā Hawai'i grant application did not pass the staff review process or the community review process. Hā supporters have tried to gain special consideration for their grant, but their efforts have failed. Questions pertaining to their non-profit status, the process to verify blood quantum and the laek of support from the Hawaiian community need to be addressed before any further consideration ean be given to their grant. As chair of the Govemmental Affairs and Sovereignty Committee, it is my intention to schedule a day of eommunity concems to allow interested Hawaiian beneficiaries to present their mana'o on the Hā Hawai'i initiative to my eommiītee and to the OHA Board of Tmstees. OHA's role in sovereignty is to build a consensus and to try to afford the Hawaiian people the greatest opportunity to express their ehoiee on the issue of self-determination for self-governance.B Editor's note: See page 1 for story on the Jan. 23 Governmental Affairs and Sovereignty Committee meeting.

"OHA's role in sovereignty is to build a consensus and to try to afford the Hawaiian people the greatest opportunity to express their ehoiee on the issue of selfdetermination and governance."

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