Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 5, 1 Mei 2000 — OHA efforts to privatize: Dead in the water, community moves to consensus [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA efforts to privatize: Dead in the water, community moves to consensus

N THE past two weeks, OHA's majority has been trying to privatize OHA by pushing a legislative proposal to have OHA converted into a private corporation like the Bishop Estate. Without obtaining board approval, OHA's legislative committee hired Norma Wong to write two bills for privatization (at a fee of $22,000 plus) and then sent the bills to the Legislature. The proposal was rejected by several Hawaiian organizations and by beneficiaries who were briefed in Hilo and Waimea. The House and Senate also refused to introduce the measures. Everyone is wondering why the OHA trustees responded to the Rice decision by moving to privatize OHA. It is very clear we need a plan to address Hawaiian politieal status in the Congress. What actually moved the trustees to take this nonsensical approach was their fear that they might not be re-elected by a non-Hawaiian voter base. If the legislation to privatize had passed, the "new OHA" would have been a private corporation where Hawaiian shareholders would have been able to have a Hawaiians-only vote. OHA trustees should focus on the poliūeal status of our peoples and beneficiaries, not their own status as political candidates in

the coming eleeūon. Meanwhile, efiforts to work collectively and to build consensus have been proceeding. A broad-based coahtion of groups, including several Hawaiian civic clubs, community 'ohana, Ka Lāhui Hawai'i, the 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, Ho'omalu ma Kualoa, the Aloha 'Āina Coalition and many others have been meeting regularly to propose a strategic plan on Hawaiian sovereignty. Project Hawaiian Justice has been incorporated by the collective, and present discussions on forming a confederation have been gaining support. What is also significant is that many members of the coalition have been asked to sit on the Native Hawaiian Working Group recently convened by Senator Akaka. This puts us in a good position to strengthen and expand the coalition efforts with Hawaiians from Neighbor Islands. Response to Charlie Maxwell The record indicates that the A.L.O.H.A. organization was created in 1970 by Louisa Rice (now Louisa DeMello) two years before Charlie Rose incorporated the name. It was she who, acting on a vision, moved to form the A.L.O.H.A. organization. Also, she managed to obtain $290,000 ffiom the Alaska

Natives and the assistance of two attorneys. What she didn't do was incorporate A.L.O.H.A. After the money was secured and the movement was going strong, Charlie Maxwell, Charlie Rose and others with connections to the poliee department and the Democratic Party filed incorporation papers under the name of the A.L.O.H.A. organization. They took over the effort. Five years later, the state dissolved the A.L.O.H.A. corporation for

failure to file yearly corporate statements. No one knows what became of the $290,000; it was never accounted for. The record indicates that Hawaiians who wanted to testify at the Dec. 1 1 reconeiliaūon hearings on political status and a reconciliation process were to have three minutes on eaeh topic. Several other Hawaiians and I submitted testimony two weeks earlier and eame to testify that day. When we arrived, we were told that our six minutes (three minutes per topic) had been cut to two minutes by an agreement between Charlie Maxwell and John Berry. We were also informed that armed security had been brought in to arrest any Hawaiian who refused to go along. Throughout the day, Maxwell used the gavel to rule Hawaiians out of order and then pulled the plug on the microphone and called in the armed security. Regarding Kaho'olawe, see the letter from Keoki "George" Akana in this issue. At least Maxwell admits his part in killing the reparations hearings. Maxwell's closing statement that we should work in unity is ludicrous - when people change the rules, use the threat of force and invite the poliee to arrest Hawaiians. ■

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