LIHU‘E — On the 10th anniversary of his country’s declaration of its reinstated sovereignty, the elected prime minister of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i on Friday requested that the Kaua‘i County Council officially acknowledge and recognize Hawai‘i’s right to exist as
LIHU‘E — On the 10th anniversary of his country’s declaration of its reinstated sovereignty, the elected prime minister of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i on Friday requested that the Kaua‘i County Council officially acknowledge and recognize Hawai‘i’s right to exist as an independent nation.
Prime Minister Henry Noa said in an hour-long presentation at the council’s regular meeting, which had been rescheduled from Wednesday due to some members being in Washington, D.C., that he has made the same proposal to other counties in the state and has also been in contact with U.S. rival Venezuela regarding recognition, a move that, if successful, could put the fledgling nation quickly at odds with its nearest neighbor.
The Kingdom of Hawai‘i, which according to Noa now has a list of almost 250 nationals and almost 5,000 applicants for citizenship, was a sovereign nation until January 1893, when the monarch rule of Queen Emma Lili‘uokalani was replaced by the Territory of Hawai‘i, which eventually became the 50th state in 1959.
Noa and others who testified to the council — including the ministers of foreign affairs and the interior — described that transfer of power as an “illegal overthrow” and said neither the Queen nor the Hawaiian people ever relinquished their claim to sovereignty or the rights contained therein. In one prominent flare-up of the ongoing sovereignty debate, the Supreme Court of the United States is currently deliberating on an appeal by Gov. Linda Lingle and Attorney General Mark Bennett of a Hawai‘i Supreme Court decision barring the state from selling or transferring former Crown lands, known as ceded lands, until the dispute is settled.
Noa, who displayed a firm grasp of international as well as U.S. and Hawai‘i law, specifically cited U.S. Public Law 103-150, the 1993 “Apology Bill” signed into law by former President Bill Clinton, as U.S. acknowledgment of the Hawaiians’ “perfect right” to their sovereignty. At one point, Noa said, “I’m not making this stuff up” to chuckles from the pro-sovereignty crowd filling Council Chambers, and later encouraged the county to recognize the nation and pass an ordinance putting a moratorium on “oppressive or suppressive acts” against Hawai‘i nationals and citizens if it hoped to avoid being charged with human rights violations.
Noa described the so-called “Akaka Bill,” favored by many Hawaiians, as “outright absurd” because the perpetrating entity — the United States — would set all of the terms and conditions despite the fact that Hawai‘i’s people have the right to determine their own government.
County Attorney Al Castillo, participating in his first council meeting since taking over the post, briefly interrupted on two occasions to recommend that the body convene an executive session to discuss the legal ramifications of recognizing Hawai‘i as an independent nation. Though the council did not take Castillo up on the offer, it also did not commit to a recognition nor did council members sign a proposal proffered by Noa.
“All these years, the Hawaiians have been trying to play the game of sovereignty,” Noa told the council. They have been “playing basketball on a volleyball court and trying to dribble one football. … they never knew the rules to the game.”
Those rules, Noa said, do not involve asking for permission and waiting for the U.S. federal government to grant independence, but instead involve the Hawaiians simply going out and taking it back for themselves.
“I have only reiterated law and I have also given opportunity for us to open up serious dialogue,” Noa said. “We don’t have to ask to get back what is rightfully ours. But in all good relationships, I believe it was only proper that we explain to you officials why we, the reinstated government, will be conducting activities that we possess the right to conduct.”
Councilman Jay Furfaro said he was “sensitive and compassionate to these issues” and that he felt fortunate the groups were able to have the discussion, while Council Chair Bill “Kaipo” Asing embraced the prime minister.
In an interview at the Historic County Building lobby following the amicable meeting, Noa said a major purpose of the meetings was to clarify the current status in advance of the nation’s upcoming plans to increase national activities such as roadway use, conducting business on former Crown lands, and even reclamation of property from U.S. possession. He said he hoped to avoid confrontations with U.S. law enforcement.
In the interview, Noa said he was “definitely” optimistic that the various county governments would recognize the Reinstated Hawaiian Government because “it’s difficult to deny law.” He declined to specify with whom in Venezuelan government he had been in contact, but said other nations, including some in Polynesia, were joining the worldwide recognition effort.
“It’s just a matter of time until we get back our country,” Noa told the council.
The council meeting will be broadcast on Hoike in coming days. For more information, visit hawaii-gov.net.
The council’s next meeting is at 9 a.m., Wednesday, at the Historic County Building.
• Michael Levine, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or via e-mail at mlevine@kauaipubco.com
