Shame on Office of Hawaiian Affairs chairman Hee not to have allowed concerned community members, or in this case some of the keiki from Ni’ihau, to address the interim trustees in Kekaha on Oct. 12. As for the trustee appointed
Shame on Office of Hawaiian Affairs chairman Hee not to have allowed concerned
community members, or in this case some of the keiki from Ni’ihau, to address
the interim trustees in Kekaha on Oct. 12.
As for the trustee appointed
for Kaua’i, you should be doubly ashamed. For one who professes to be 100
percent Hawaiian and therefore knowledgeable of Hawaiian concerns, you have
totally disregarded people from your native island. Are we, the people of
Kaua’i, to believe that you will have our best interests at heart?
I
applaud your efforts in being one of those responsible for the success of the
Aha Punana Leo program. My grandson attended Punana Leo 0 Kaua’i for three
years and finally graduated this past June and now attends Kapa’a Elementary
School Immersion Program.
However, you somehow have forgotten how hard
it’s been for the people of Ni’ihau to speak English and how hard its been for
them to find lucrative jobs. Is it wrong for them to want to make it better for
their children? What is more important for development of these Ni’ihau
children: Learning, English or learning their Hawaiian language?
What Tony
Watson said on KONG’s Local Talk Oct. 17 makes a lot of sense. Keep OHA out,
keep Aha Punana Leo out and let the teachers, students and parents decide on a
curriculum. How simple things could be if we only look for the betterment of
our keiki and not who will or how will the appropriated funds be
distributed.
As this is an issue that 0HA has not remedied, I would like to
say: People, vote smart come Nov. 7. Know who you are voting for, and I pray
that we stop voting on a name-recognition basis.
I, too, have been guilty
of selecting people that I had heard of or seen their sign or heard a PSA
commercial. This, my friends, is not smart voting.
In the weeks to come,
there will be information coming over the airwaves, be it radio, television or
media. There are various community forums being held for the OHA candidates.
Take advantage and go and meet as many candidates as possible.
You will be
looking at a ballot with 97 names for nine positions. Do some home work before
Nov. 7. A forum is tentatively being scheduled for Kaua’i on Oct. 29.
Let’s vote smart on Nov. 7. Let’s begin with a fresh slate. No incumbents
or interim trustees, please.
MARIE M. TORIO
Anahola
