Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 4, 1 April 1992 — Our responsibilities grow along with our resources [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Our responsibilities grow along with our resources

by Moanikeala Akaka Trustee, Island of Hawai'i

I his Oiiiee oi Hawaiian Affairs trustee gets disturbed when told she cannot attend a community, county or state meeting to whieh she has been invited by her constituents. We trustees are told by chair and administra-

tion that we must be austere and cut down the number of meetings we attend. This outrages me because for years our finance officer has stated trustees' inter-island travel and official meetings is just a miniscule part of OHA's budget. We should never lose sight of the fact that OHA exists to serve the needs of the Hawaiian people. To identify our constituents' needs we must, especially when asked, attend loeal eommunity meetings; I am suspicious of anyone who tells me otherwise.

We trustees are being told that we have to cut down our numbers of meetings at a time when this office has begun to receive at least $7.5 million a year owed us by the state after a decade of receiving about $1.5 million annually. The state also owes us over $100 million

retroactive, compounded annually for that decade. As trustees, our responsibilities grow along with our resources. I have always taken my responsibility as trustee seriously, and even though we are non-salaried, 1 have attended many meetings for no compensation and will continue to do so though 1 feel 1 deserve to receive a stipend for the meetings. The legisla-

ture, several years ago, hmited its tunding to four trustee committee meetings a month. We now have nine standing committees, and numerous important community meetings at whieh trustees attendance is requested by you, our constituents. We OHA trustees are here to serve you, our people — that should be first and foremost. Even though the legislature has given limited funding for trustees' meetings, this office ean still appropriate our own funds for added meetings so that we, as trustees, ean adequately serve our people.

With more resources and responsibilities it should be understood that we would have more and not less meetings. There is today a growing consciousness among Hawaiians — this is no time to curtail trustees involvement unless, of course, there is a fear of grass roots organization and influence. As part of my responsibility to you, I feel compelled to attend as many of our OHA eom-

mittee meetings as possible, even those I am not a member of. I believe in being knowledgeable firsthand about eaeh of these committees that have an impact on Hawaiian lives. Though 1 can't vote, I ean participate in discussions and when the subject comes before the full board, I will have knowledge and understanding through this committee participation. There is now a move about to limit paid meeting attendance to members only. This smacks of totalitarianism.

It is also important for trustees to be out in the community attending meetings that affect the lives and lands of the Hawaiian people. This is our link to you and helps keep OHA honest. Actually, we wouldn't need stipends for attending meetings if trustees received a salary. What also disturbs me is that we trustees now have to justify our community meeting requests to our own staff — the trustees' employees! The chair has always been responsible for giving the OK for trustees to attend

meetings as requested by our community; however, Chairman Hee has directed our administrator to sign off (approve or disapprove) every trustee request for an official meeting before the chair will OK it. I believe in accountability, I have no problem with that, but I do have a problem in having to justify my existence to continued on page 20

Trustee Akaka ,^^19

our own staff. There then arises the possibility of having the administration and chair reject a community request for trustee attendance. It embarrasses me and the office I was elected to serve to not be able to better serve you, my people. This is intolerable!

1 should not have to feel that there is a eoncerted effort to keep me from serving the grass roots groups that I have worked with for years. As an example, you know that I have been working with the Kalapana Hawaiian lava refugees for some years. I've worked hard with them to get 'aina and home loans through the legislature and HFDC and to protect their native gathering rights whieh were being threatened at Volcano Nahonal Park. I work closely with this community group and have gone out to Puna to meet with them twice in the past week-and-a-half alone.

In OHA, the Kalapana 'Ohana has now been assigned to the Housing Committee by the chair, and I was not invited by administration to a meeting with Bill Paty of DLNR relating to leases for these Hawaiians. Mind you, these

'Ohana I not only work closely with, but I am also their island trustee; these other staff and trustees are from other islands. I take offense at the chair's not designating me to work on concerns I have already been participating in diligently. The facts of this points to an attempt to short-circuit my effectiveness as your representative.

As chair of Health and Human Services, I have had no division officer for almost two years. I find this outrageous when there are so many Hawaiian problems in this area. Administration is so busy monitoring trustees' meeting requests that they haven't the time to hire desperately needed staff. Not only my Health and Human Services officer but a housing officer we've needed for over a year is also lacking. Housing is the greatest priority of need for our people and all Hawai'i residents.

How many of our problems in OHA are based upon gaining control and power instead of trying to fulfill the needs of our people (please refer to Trustee Louis Hao's article in

Ka Wai Ola O OHA, March issue, page 21). I envision better educational programs for Hawaiian keiki so that they ean be well-educat-ed future leaders. We desperately need at-risk programs for those youngsters in danger of slipping away. We are in the process of setting up a $10 million Educational Foundation for

scholarships. We also have a bill in the legislature for $2 million in low-interest revolving home loan fund on DHHL lands. There will also be more self-help and other housing programs. My subcommittee on Hawaiian Health Plan continues to work to secure and implement a supplementary health plan so that all Hawaiians will be able to recei've adequate health coveraqe.

OHA is finally getting some resources with whieh we ean pay attention to these very important needs. The future looks very optimistic, but we must not curtail trustees' involvement with their electorate — that would be undemocratic and catastrophic for OHA. Malama Pono. Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka 'Aina I Ka Pono.