It appears that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to negate our hard-fought right to have Hawaiians represent and decide for Hawaiians through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is the taking away of an advantage and a privilege Native Hawaiians should
It appears that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to negate our hard-fought
right to have Hawaiians represent and decide for Hawaiians through the Office
of Hawaiian Affairs is the taking away of an advantage and a privilege Native
Hawaiians should always have had, naturally.
The election of trustees to
the OHA board has been opened to all who are registered voters in Hawai’i, and
this poses a problem because it creates serious concerns about the kind and
quality of consideration the people of Hawaiian ancestry will receive.
It
is very probable that new OHA boards may comprise individuals from outside
Native Hawaiian stock, elected by the huge majority of non-Hawaiians in our
state. Voter rolls in Hawai’i indicate there are at least 600,000 non-Hawaiian
registered voters and only 120,000 voters with Hawaiian blood. This 6 to 1
plurality in favor of non-Hawaiians does not, and should not, guarantee the
stacking of the OHA board with non~Hawaiians. But the danger does exist that
matters relating to the upliftment and betterment of Hawaii’s dwindling native
population may not be given proper attention. OHA was created by the 1978
Constitutional Convention to promote the advancement and create opportunities
for Native Hawaiians for their economic, social and educational
progress.
Non-Native Hawaiians, regardless of their passion and aloha for
the descendants of the Polynesian people who found and populated these islands,
who established a distinct culture and heritage, enjoyed and promoted by so
many in a variety of places, may not have the same understanding or even the
same convictions of what needs to be done in meeting OHA’s goals and
purposes.
After once again being elected in 1998 to serve a four-year term
on OHA’s Board of Trustees, prior to the nullification of the election by the
U.S. Supreme Court, and after being forced to resign my seat this year, I feel
compelled to regain my post in this year’s OHA election, now open to all the
voters in Hawai’i.
I fully realize that this race is vastly different from
the previous elections I won, because my appeal then was concentrated primarily
at Native Hawaiians, since the responsibilities and tasks involved Native
Hawaiian issues. This time around, I have an added responsibility of convincing
all those who vote of how important I feel it is to be returned to the OHA
board.
My chief motive in seeking to regain my seat on OHA’s board is to
provide a continuity and consistency that is strongly needed to maintain the
momentum that we have gained in the advancement of our Hawaiian
community,
With improvements in our resources, chiefly involving
restoration of control of our ceded lands, and the funds these lands generate
(not taxpayers money), I envisage a time when we will be in a better position
to create and improve opportunities for the Hawaiian community in all the
important fields that lead to a secure and more promising future for
all.
We must be conscious of the fact that the Hawaiian community is an
integral part of the Hawaiian state where all its citizens are equally
important. Putting one group above another has never been a wholesome or
healthy thing. OHA was not created to promote Native Hawaiians at the
detriment of other groups. Its mission has always been to make them equal; to
place them on secure footings so that they will not be left behind in the
pursuit of prosperity and satisfaction.
My determination is to focus on
improving education opportunities for those in our Hawaiian community. My goal
is to open as many doors as it takes to make it possible for our kanaka maoli
to increase their learning, obtain knowledge and skills in order to sharpen
their competitiveness in seeking high-paying jobs in professional
fields.
With this equality, everybody stands to gain, and Hawai’i as a
whole will be a better place where the meaning of aloha embraces the essence of
the Hawaiian soul.
Louis Hao
Maui