Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 3, 1 April 1984 — Matsunaga Makes Observations [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Matsunaga Makes Observations

Long Road Ahead to Reparations

Now that the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearings are pau in Hawaii, what happens to all those hours and hours of testimony? Will the transcripts be filed away in some dusty Washington record depository never to be seen again? Will the concerns of those who testified be reviewed by members of the Committee, or was the whole thing an exercise in futility? These questions have been raised in part because none of the mainland committee members eame to Hawaii for the hearings.

OHA put those questions to Hawaii's Spark Matsunaga, who was designated committee chairman for the purposes of the hearings. In an exclusive interview, Matsunaga told us he was unable to convince the other committee members to eome to Hawaii during the Easter recess. "Especially during an election year such as this, they all go home to their own states and hold their own hearings. They're all holding hearings pertaining to their own constituency."

Matsunaga says, however, the testimony will be published in the report of the hearings and will be made available to all members of the committee. He promised to introduce a Senate bill ealling for reparations and implementing the other recommendations made by the Hawaii members of the Native Hawaiians Study Commission. "What we're trying to do here is to overcome thedecision of

the majority, and it's tough because the majority of the commission eame out against any legal obligations to Hawaiians. Our primary aim is to overcome the recommendations of the majority, and to do that we needed expert testimony as well as that of the general puhlie. That testimony will be used in support of my legislation whieh will be referred to the full committee."

And what is the Senator's candid evaluation of the chances for that legislation to succeed?

"lt's going to be tough because of the recommendation of the majority of the Commission. You see, it's a six to three majority (against restitution). In the case of the Japanese-Americans (interned during World War II) a eommission unanimously recommended (in favor of redress). Yet we're having a terrible time getting that through . . . even to hold hearings. With the disadvantage of an adverse majority report (of the Native Hawaiians Study Commission) it is going to be a long road ahead. but I'm optimistic. l've been fighting for the Peaee Academy now for 21 years and I finally got it out of committee and it looks as though it's going to pass. But it's taken a long time."

In addition to the recently concluded Senate hearings, Congressmen Cec Heftel and Daniel Akaka have announced that the House lnterior Committee will hold a hearing on the Native Hawaiians Study Commission Report in Washington on May 3. That two-hour hearing is limited to an examination of the professional adequacy of that portion of the report dealing with historical events surrounding the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS 567 So. King Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga