Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 11, 1 November 1997 — Hawaiians and the political process [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiians and the political process

Editor's noie: Madame Chairperson DeSoto is the first woman honored with the Hawaiian Poimeal Action Committee's Lei Huiu Mamo award. Following are excerpts from the address she gave at the awards dinner in Septemher. I stand here tonight with all of the nervousness and pride and aloha that this wahine ean possibly have. With humility, I

stand in the shadow of the kūpuna who eame before me and in the presence of many who work hard daily for the benefit of us all. A person cannot receive any greater honor than the love and friendship of her family and her own people. All of you honor me by being here tonight. It would be out of character if I didn't take this opportunity to share my mana'o'i'o, my thoughts, some hopes, and a few fears — about what the future holds for us politically. I have been called a community activist — and other things as well — but I am an activist who has always believed in the power of politics and the power of the vote. As Hawaiians, we have grown in poliheal strength over the last 20 years. Just this week, I saw some numbers that verify what my na'au has told me for years. In 1976, Hawaiian voters were estimated between 12 and 14 percent of all voters. Today, we are 87,000 strong, about 16 to 18 percent of all voters, and our voting tumout has gotten mueh bet-

ter. We are still a voting minoiity in our own land. I say this not as a whimper of despair, but as a fact to be dealt with in the most pragmatic terms. Nevertheless, Hawaiian votes have made a difference in getting people elected, and getting people unelected. We are counted as important swing voters in close elections. We ean block decisions, perhaps better than we ean get decisions passed. Our resolve to make our voices heard and our votes count is more important now than ever

before. The rhetoric of why we do not or should not vote is short-sighted and foolish. We are living in a time when you ean feel the backlash against the long, hard and legitimate politieal organizing efforts of our Hawaiian people - for Kaho'olawe, for a Hawaiian trustee, the state constitution, ceded land revenues, Hawaiian rights. Our success has given birth to jealousy that hides behind a rewrite of laws and history. We need to be watchful and mindful of mueh. Newly opened wounds threaten to reverse gains that we have made. The efforts to bash, clash and smash the RA.S.H. decision eome to mind, and the attempt to reverse Act 304 and the revenue for Hawaiians from the Public Land Trust. Every year, there are cut-backs on Hawaiian programs. A handy excuse is the economy. Hawaiians know better than most what it means not tohaveajob. It is double the insult not to have a job, and to have rights taken away and agreements broken all at the same time. Continued on page 16

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DeSoto from page 15 Fear has poisoned the environment for the discussion of \ sovereignty. We need to be I very careful about allowing our i internal disagreements to be ; used by others for their own purposes. I have leamed that the eanoe does not sink due to I the water around it, but due to i the waters in it! I firmly believe that we need i to re-educate our own people about the issues and the possi- ; bilities. OHA must take the ini- j tiative! To empower our own people is the single most benefi- ; eial legacy we ean give. They j cannot lose hope. We need to i re-educate others. We must per- ; | sist in a strong, dignified way, | and we need to look to the future with as mueh passion as i ; we have looked to the past. For more years than I want to j count, I have fought for justice ; out of anger. I am impatient to ; get results. I too am leaming ' not to look so mueh at why we j fell. but how we ean stand and how ean we stand together. What I may have done I have not done alone. I humbly ask, i in retum, to join me in the fight ; for our future. j Mahalo nui no ka ho'ohi- ; wahiwa 'ana mai no ka'u mau ; hana ma mua. Na kākou e ho'omau mai kēia mua aku. I mua e nā po'e aloha. Mahalo piha. ■ ;