Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 1, 1 January 2005 — Opinions of trustees [ARTICLE]

Opinions of trustees

I have nothing against Edith Ellis expressing her opinions about Trustee Akana in her December letter to the editor. What I do have a problem with is that she failed to mention that she is the sister of Winona Rubin, Trustee Haunani Apoliona's aide who wrote a similar letter criticizing Akana in the November issue. A lot of people may not remember, but Ellis used to write letters attacking Apoliona's rival, Clayton Hee, some years back. Coincidence? I believe Rubin and Ellis are wrong for attacking Akana. As a trustee, Akana has every right to question what is going on at OHA. It's her job, and it seems like she is the only one with guts to say something. She should be applauded, not attacked, for it. It's so obvious that Apoliona is using Ellis and Rubin to attack Akana indirectly. That's not very honorable, is it? It's time for Apoliona to stop hiding behind others and take on Akana personally. That's definitely a debate I'd like to see. If Apoliona has done nothing wrong or has nothing to hide, then she has nothing to worry about. I also feel Ellis was really out of line when she criticized Akana for the kind of car she drives. What does that have to do with the quality of work Akana has done for OHA

over the past 14 years? What this attack appears to be is unfortunately what Hawaiians get accused of often: the "crabs in the bucket" syndrome. When a Hawaiian moves ahead, the others pull him back. And as for Akana's many years of service, I believe it is a confirmation that Hawaiians appreciate her work on the board. I guess Ellis feels that esteemed and valued statesmen like Sens. Akaka and Inouye should step down just because they've served so many years. Finally, Edith, you should learn to be less critical of other people. Louise Peters Wai'anae, O'ahu