Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 4, 1 April 1993 — Governor praises Babbitt's action to review memo on U.S. trust role to Hawaiians [ARTICLE]

Governor praises Babbitt's action to review memo on U.S. trust role to Hawaiians

Gov. John Waihe'e has praised the actions of U.S. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt in agreeing to review the Interior Department's opinion that the federal govemment has no trust responsibility to native Hawaiians under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

"I was extremely pleased to hear of Secretary Babbitt's intentions," said the govemor. "The Secretary's actions denote the beginning of a significant tumaround in the attitude and openness of the Interior Department regarding native Hawaiian issues, and is the result of a lot of hard work by many, both here in Hawai'i and in Washington, D.C., who support native Hawaiian rights." The governor also thanked Hawai'i's eongressional delegation for their efforts. In a February meeting with Waihe'e in Washington, D.C., Babbitt asked for a legal opinion from the State Attorney General's office to counter the former Solicitor's opinion. Arguments and supporting documents were then prepared and forwarded to Washington on Mar. 3. The controversial earlier opinion contended there was never any federal trust obligation to native Hawaiians, and that funding for native Hawaiian programs is unconstitutional becauses it benefits a selected racial class.

The state of Hawai'i and Hawaiian groups, however, argued that native Hawaiians are an indigenous people and should be recognized as such by the federal govemment and accorded the rights that other native groups enjoy. If Babbitt does rescind the earlier opinion, native Hawaiians will be able to move forward with claims against the federal govemment, and it will be the first step in recognizing native Hawaiians for the purposes of sovereignty. The action would also remove the cloud surrounding federal funding for housing, education and heahh for Native Hawaiians.