Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2005 — Democrats ond Republicons both need to answer the Hawaiion question [ARTICLE]

Democrats ond Republicons both need to answer the Hawaiion question

This letter is in response to Daniel Laraway's remarks regarding my views expressed in the artiele "Native Hawaiians: a thousand points of light," whieh was printed in the September issue of Ka Wai Ola. Mahalo to Laraway for correctly pointing out that President Grover Cleveland was a Democrat. My pieee should have identified Cleveland as "Republican-backed." According to White House historians, Cleveland won the presidency with the combined support of Democrats and reform Republicans, the "Mugwumps," who disliked the record of his opponent James G. Blaine of Maine. The omission was entirely my own, and I am grateful for his clarification.

At the same time, I am troubled by Laraway's interpretation of the pieee as an effort to promote the worth of one party's policies over another, or, in his analysis, Republicans over Democrats. Clearly, he failed to appreciate my use of irony and underlying message. The very purpose behind framing the pieee around "conservative" ideology and its champions was not to glorify foes of Hawaiian legacy programs, but rather to shed light on the disconnect that exists between their rhetoric and their practice. They say they want a thousand points of light. I say, "Great, here we are!" They challenge people to strive to pull themselves up by their own initiative. I answer, "Yes, that's what we are trying to do!" They argue that people based in faith serve a mighty purpose. I respond that, indeed, spirituality is the very lifeblood of the Hawaiian culture. They eall for greater

states' rights and then set out to destroy the state of Hawai'i's efforts to improve our condition. Laraway revealed notable examples of the ways in whieh conservative leaders have failed to help Hawaiians. I wish he had stopped there, rather than exploiting the subject for a partisan purpose. The "Hawaiian question" is neither a Democratic question nor a Republican question. It is an American question. Does America, the leader of the Free World, have the will to help us rebuild our nation? To assign hlame to one party or the other at this juncture is overly simplistic. If Hawaiians are to succeed in saving our legacies, we must win the support of all parties. There'll be time enough later to take credit for the effort. Kēhaulani Lum Via the lnternet

KA LEO KAIĀULU • LETTERS ĪD ĪHE EDIĪDR

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