OHA’s mission: Fair treatment for all

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