Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 7, 1 Iulai 2010 — Steering a straight course [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Steering a straight course

Aloha Kākou, Though we have been stymied since November 2009 in the U.S. Senate by adverse reaction to changes made to the Akaka Bill, OHA has nevertheless been kept busy on the home front with its majorreorganization, whieh has helped better our administrative structure. Since the changes will guide us through at least the next five years, we are anticipating mueh in the

way of positive results. There surely are areas that need attention, but by and large the whole organization has been elevated to a higher level of performance and expectations. As regards the Board, we need to have a Board of Trustees with accountability to beneficiaries first and all others second. We need proven trustworthy individuals. When managing and supervising a trust in the hundreds of millions of dollars, eompetency in finances, the law, business, real estate and economics is just as necessary as appreciation and knowledge of the culture, our people and their needs. Sure politics plays a role, but better it be limited to seeking legislation; not mnning for office. It seems that politicians by definition defy the meaning of Trustee, for they cannot serve God and Mammon or the trust and their ego simultaneously. The likelihood of any changes being made in the state Constitution or statutes to address the selection of trustees is not great, and so perhaps term limits could be considered, limiting terms to three four-year terms by whieh time a trustee should have eome up to speed, eontributed to the betterment of the Hawaiian people and completed his/her goals and objectives as a Trustee. I appreciate being able to help Hawaiians lift themselves up and succeed in life as do my fellow Trustees. We are committed to bringing to our people a degree of self-

determination, self-respect, a sense of justice and the ability to make more of their own choices. OHA and the Board will sunset helow the horizon some day in the not too distant future, but until that happens we Trustees will continue to be politician/Trustees navigating our way through issues and challenges on behalf of the Hawaiian people while securing for their future a trust corpus that ean benefit them all. When a governing entity

is ready to be put in plaee, the leaders will be elected by the voter base, whoever the Hawaiian people have determined that to be. The new leaders will represent those who elect to heeome a part of the reorganized Hawaiian entity. Though the state and federal government will still play an important role in the lives of Hawaiians, the new Hawaiian government will be able to focus on the needs of the Hawaiian people and to provide a more organized approach to the meeting of those needs whieh are legion. Our existence as a native aboriginal people will be preserved and thus our ability to prevail in the courts against race-based claims will benefit our beneficiaries, the royal trusts and any Hawaiian preference organizations. We as a people will have continuedlife in our own land. OHA has upgraded its capacity to eompete in a modern and high-tech world and is in plaee to usher in another phase in the history of our people. We are working to prepare for the eventual birth of an entity that, whatever its form, will restore hope for a better future for Hawaiians. Despite criticisms and some complaints, we seek to steer a straight course as best we ean and will do whatever we believe best for our beneficiaries as a whole, politics notwithstanding. ■

NATIVE HAWAIIAN NEWS FEATURES | EVENTS WWW.0tia.Qrg/kWO kwo@OHA.org ^ — '

Būyd P. Mūssman TrustEE, Maui