Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 7, 1 July 2006 — Battle for survival not for faint- hearted; we'll continue to fight [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Battle for survival not for fainthearted; we'll continue to fight

Aloha all. As I sit here in Washington, D.C., reflecting upon the last two days in whieh I witnessed the demise of the Akaka Bill on a procedural cloture vote in the U.S. Senate, I am at the same time unhappy and re-energized. The battle for survival is not for the fainthearted. Though weary we may be, committed we are to preserving our people, our culture, our heritage and the future for our posterity. Sure the Akaka Bill may be lost for this year, but it will resurface in the future perhaps in another form and, in the meantime, OHA will revert to its Plan B to be announced soon. The good news is that we had a majority of the senate vote for the bill; the bad news is we needed 60 just to get to the floor. Therefore, for the sixth year in a row, we remain locked out because of the majority party's obstacles and maneuverings. I heard senators argue against the bill saying that it was a waste of time, that it was blatantly racist, that it was divisive and dangerous, that it was unconstitutional and that it created for the first time a new sovereign nation that could do whatever it wished. Listening to such misguided and inaecurate information was enough to make one ill; however, the Arakaki plaintiffs, represented by Bill and Puanani Burgess, and the Grassroot Institute of Hawai'i, represented by state Sen. Sam Slom and Malia Zimmerman, I'm sure relished the results and saw the reward of their efforts to refuse Hawaiians parity, fairness and justice. And enjoying the whole event with them was a former OHA trustee, Clarence Ching. Strange bedfellows, indeed. We are trying our best to preserve Hawaiian entitlements and are being attacked by the Grassroot Institute and plaintiffs in court for being racist. They demand that we give up all we have as Native Hawaiians: the OHA trust fund, federal entitlements, the

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, etc., and that we equally share these with the rest of Hawai'i. So as OHA fights to keep these benefits for our people, independent advocates such as Mr. Ching, Koani Foundation and Hui Pū join with the opposition in seeking to sink OHA. What's up with that? On the other hand, Gov. Linda Lingle, a non-Hawaiian, eame to Washington to help Hawaiians. She did her best by securing a number of the 12 Republican senators who broke ranks in order to vote for cloture. Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye worked hand in hand with OHA and the governor, and we were convinced that we had enough votes for cloture. Unfortunately, by the last minute activities of the Republican majority leadership, we probably lost at least five committed votes. In addition, other issues being considered at the same time, such as the gay marriage and the estate tax bills, created a difficult situation for our bill to receive reasoned consideration. The surprise lastminute letter from the Department of Justice, issued without going through the White House, and the discredited Civil Rights Commission report, done without our loeal committee's input, also contributed to this whole episode becoming one of political intrigue as opposed to a vote for what was right or wrong. One senator cited our nation's motto - "E Pluribus Unum," whieh means "from many, one" - in arguing why the bill should be denied. The fact is that Native Hawaiians were among "the first" of "the many," and as the Native Americans and Alaskan Natives who have already been recognized despite racial restrictions, so too should Native Hawaiians be recognized. The opposition would have us disappear into a one-size-fits-all society. We here in Hawai'i live together as a rainbow of races and want to continue to do so, while at the same time being one nation and one state, under God. So suffice it to say that we will eontinue to fight for what's right and to establish for the people of Hawai'i a better understanding of the issues, and an appreciation for the continued legal existence of our people in our beloved land. S

Bnyd P. Mūssman TrustEE, Maui