• Challenges to Native Hawaiian benefits • Charlie Hiramoto Challenges to Native Hawaiian benefits Governor Linda Lingle got it right when she said yesterday that legal challenges to programs that benefit Native Hawaiian residents of Hawai‘i work against all the
• Challenges to Native Hawaiian benefits
• Charlie Hiramoto
Challenges to Native Hawaiian benefits
Governor Linda Lingle got it right when she said yesterday that legal challenges to programs that benefit Native Hawaiian residents of Hawai‘i work against all the people of Hawai‘i.
A challenge to state programs by two Hawai‘i residents was defeated yesterday when a federal judge ruled that the two plaintiffs held no legal standing to challenge the laws.
The two are arguing that revenue from certain parcels of state land, lands that came under state ownership in 1959 and were held by the Kingdom of Hawai‘i in the 19th century, should benefit all the residents of Hawai‘i, not just those of Native Hawaiian blood.
In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for non-Hawaiians to vote for officers that run the Office of Hawaiian Affairs by striking down a Hawai‘i state law that limited such elections to Native Hawaiian voters.
A bill currently in Congress and sponsored by Sen. Dan Akaka would give special federal recognition to Native Hawaiians, and would go a long ways towards protecting existing state and federal programs that benefit Native Hawaiians.
Some Native Hawaiians are opposing the “Akaka Bill” saying it doesn’t go far enough in providing a form of sovereignty within Hawai‘i to Native Hawaiians living in Hawai‘i.
The danger of lawsuits that might challenge the Akaka Bill, as well as the constitutionality of state Native Hawaiian programs, is the possible loss of benefits to the Native Hawaiian community. This could lead to even worse social problems for some in the Native Hawaiian community, might preclude the awarding of homesteads to Native Hawaiian families who have been waiting for years and decades for their own homesite.
Another possibility if the programs are gutted is a backlash against the government by Native Hawaiians due to the frustration they might feel in losing the gains they’ve achieved over the years through these programs. Making a point about what’s constitutional and what’s not through lawsuits is not the best route to take in creating a better future for the Native Hawaiian community and in turn all of Hawai‘i’s people.
Charlie Hiramoto
Kaua‘i Fire Chief Charlie Hiramoto has announced his retirement after over 30 years of service with the County of Kaua‘i.
Hiramoto has been with the fire department for 25 years.
Though Hiramoto’s has been a short-term appointment, being fire chief was a fine position to cap his long career in county government.
Hiramoto has proven to be a capable leader, and played a leading role in the recent helicopter crash in Wai‘ale‘ale Crater.
Hopefully Mayor Bryan Baptiste will be able to find an equally qualified candidate for this important position.
