Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 12, 1 December 2008 — Molokaʻi voters [ARTICLE]

Molokaʻi voters

As demonstrated in two consecutive elections, the residents of Moloka 'i have clearly stated that they do not support the leadership abilities of OHA Trustee Colette Machado. The recent general election demonstrated widespread

conununity support for OHA trustee candidate Waipa Purdy, who won the Moloka'i vote by more than a 2-to-l ratio against Machado. Despite this landslide victory, it was Purdy who was detennined the loser of this race. The problem lies in the process itself - whieh allows for statewide voting by nonresident voters who have little or no knowledge of Moloka 'i is sues . Colette Machado ' s partnership with the Singaporeanbased giant Guoco Leisure Ltd. has proven to be entirely destructive to our island, leaving a wake of abandoned projects and the threat of discontinued water service for half of the island's population. Furthennore it was Machado who gave blindsided support of development at Lā'au Point, a project that would have destroyed over 5 miles of pristine undeveloped coast line, invaded one of the most secure habitats

for monk seals, and seriously threatened the water supply of her own constituents within the Hawaiian homesteads of Ho'olehua. The fact remains that the clear voice of Moloka'i has been ignored! Steve Morgan Maunaloa, Moloka'i