Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 3, 1 March 1998 — 'Let's join hands and walk into the future' [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

'Let's join hands and walk into the future'

UNITED WE stand, divided we fall. Your voices were heard, your concerns adhered to. Hawaiian votes do count. The only problem is H.B. 2340 will reappear next session, newly worded, but still ugly. And what are we Hawaiians going to do about it? The only way we ean predict our future is to create it ourselves. I watched with great interest the march and the vigil against the Hawaiian Autonomy Bill. I was not there physically, but my prayers and my support were. I, too, said 'A'OLE! I was saddened by the need of some to say this was a racist issue. The issue is not race but money! By abolishing OHA and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the debt of approximately $9.9 million owing to OHA from landing fees, and the $600 million owing to DHHL could be wiped off the books. With the new act proposing a state-run trust corporation with an elected board, the eventual demise of Hawaiian concerns, including monies owed, would be

guaranteed. Again, the state's economy could be eased by ignoring the 1978 Con-Con whieh created the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Before the legislature even convened, this issue was discussed. No way could Rep. Case have drawn up this proposal without the input and coaxing of other legislators and private interests. Let's find out whieh legislators stand behind this bill and let's make them pay at the polls. Maka'ala — beware — this bill could be just a vay of keeping us focused on one thing, while other things are happening. The biggest problem we Hawaiians have right now is to get the state to pay its debt to OHA. The state's purse

strings are getting tighter and tighter. Soon the state will ignore the debt or just keep the issue in the courts until the well is dry. Recently, during a speech here on Kaua'i, Rep. Bertha Kawakami stated she was going to have her staff draw up a letter to her constituents informing them of her intentions that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and OHA spend their money on Hawaiians. Who else do

we spend our money on? What about the state's obligation to us? We don't pay taxes to DHHL or OHA. We pay to the state and in doing so we are entitled to every benefit as citizens of the State of Hawai'i. Didn't we just get a "thumbs up" on our budget from state auditor Marion Higa? Our beneficiaries responded well at Rep. Case's hearing on the Autonomy Bill. Our people want to be educated in the political process. They reahze the only way we Hawaiians ean stop the abuse is by putting up candidates, not only Hawaiians, but non-Hawaiians who are sympathic to Hawaiian eoncerns. I quote our Deputy Administrator Colin Kippen and commend him for

the good job he is doing. "Let's join hands and walk into the future." I extend my sincerest condolences to the family of Trustee Billie Beamer. Trustee Beamer was truly a visionary and possibly a bit ahead of her time. She paid her dues. owed no one and was not afraid to tackle issues head on. Trustee Beamer was a hard worker and will be missed. ■

" Behold , how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live in unity!" Psalms 133:1

[?]