• The people have the power • Dishonorable acts The people have the power Anyone who has worked for expanded freedom, democracy and increased individual participation in government will eventually run into this shopworn canard recently expressed by Councilwoman Nadine
• The people have the power • Dishonorable acts
The people have the power
Anyone who has worked for expanded freedom, democracy and increased individual participation in government will eventually run into this shopworn canard recently expressed by Councilwoman Nadine Nakamura, who spearheaded changing the opening of the open governance resolution from “Whereas, in a democracy, the people are vested with the ultimate decision-making power and an informed, aware and engaged electorate is an important component of good governance” to “Whereas, an informed, aware and engaged electorate is an important component of good governance.”
Nadine said, “We are in representative democracy, and the people have elected representatives who are vested with the power to make decisions on their behalf.” (“Open governance resolution passes,” The Garden Island, Dec. 22)
What the council removed was part of the Hawai‘i Sunshine Law. From tea-baggers to progressives I have heard the less-than-convincing rationale of “we are a representative, not a participatory, democracy” as a defense against greater civic participation.
Anyone who gave this even casual thought would realize that when this country was founded there was no practical way for a truly participatory democracy to function. Just because the founders could not create a participatory democracy it does not mean we are forever barred from doing so.
Should a society that can track your bank account to the smallest increment in time and amount continue to let a historical artifact stop the spread of democracy?
Today it does not take days or weeks to communicate or get messages, mail, ballots, etc. to be read or tallied. Electronic Direct Democracy requires electronic voting or some way to register votes on issues electronically. As in any direct democracy, in an EDD, citizens would have the right to vote on legislation, author new legislation, and recall representatives (if any representatives are preserved). Estonia in Europe has already implemented aspects of EDD.
Meanwhile here on Kaua’i, the forces of delay stopped live cablecast of county meetings, and delayed live Internet streaming for many years after it was not only technically possible but inexpensive as well.
As Hawaiian sovereignty activist Henry Smith once told me, “Now the trustees claim they are the owners.” Do we really need “representation” anymore or can we just represent ourselves?
Repeating the mantra “we are a representative democracy” will not forestall the rising technological tide of a communications revolution that will relegate representatives to the dust bin of historical artifacts.
Information is the lifeblood of democracy and a revolution is now under way. For example, Wikileaks just disclosed to the world that the U.S. ambassador planned retaliation against France over their ban on Monsanto genetically modified corn. I don’t want my representative doing this to France! Will Kaua‘i be next?
Perhaps someday, in a participatory democracy, citizens of Kaua‘i will know what’s going on with GMOs here on Kaua‘i and WMDs as well. Perhaps someday our “representatives” will “allow” citizens to present their audio/video testimony at a council meeting remotely via Skype or other electronic means (like prisoners appear before a judge on video) instead of forcing us to taking a day off of work.
The people are vested with the ultimate decision-making power. Don’t forget it and keep reminding your temporary representatives.
Ed Coll, Puhi
Dishonorable acts
The Akaka Bill/NHRA (Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act aka ‘Federal Recognition) is officially dead. It would have excluded over 73 percent of Native Hawaiians (Hawai‘i Free Press, July 8) in its so-called provisions.
Also dead is a sneak attack: unknown by many, there was no mention of this powerful life-altering legislation, the Akaka Bill, in the Omnibus Spending Bill. It was surreptitiously inserted by Inouye a year ago in case the Akaka Bill failed its last attempt.
Regardless of the fact that most Hawaiians rejected the Akaka Bill as harmful, unfair and an obstruction to self-determination, it was pushed in Congress for 10 years with over a dozen rewrites (purportedly written “by Hawaiians for Hawaiians”) in attempts to make the language pleasing to whomever in U.S. government was scrutinizing it. Hawaiians never had a say in it and the calls for congressional hearings in Hawai‘i were flat out and repeatedly denied.
Inouye stayed in the shadows all these years while Akaka, Abercrombie, OHA, Micah Kane and others worked feverishly to pass it.
Implementation started about 40 years ago (1970s). From Dateline Washington came this: A Report to Hawai‘i from Senator Dan K. Inouye, “…While it would not seem feasible to redistribute this land to the people (the bulk being either assigned to the Interior Department, as part of the National Park System or the military), a cash compensation for extinguishment of aboriginal land title, similar to that provided in the Alaska settlement, would seem to be justified in light of the Alaska precedent.”
A whole lot of Hawaiians’ money has been squandered; an office in Washington D.C. was even opened for the jet-setting OHA “trustees.”
Both bills are dead, the dishonorable acts did not succeed, so with that, there is no question whether Hawaiians still retain title over the lands. Maybe a little bit of justice finally saw the light of day.
Elaine Dunbar, Lihu‘e
