Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 3, 1 March 2000 — Celebrate as the canoe moves on course [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Celebrate as the canoe moves on course

WELL. ALMOST TWO months have gone by since we have reorganized and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is slowly on the road to recovery. In spite of the rich naysayers that are now resorting to fullpage ads, at $1,700 a page, that are at best, dishonest, speculative variations of the truth. Some bad juju going on here. Enough already! In the past two months we have moved the business of our people forward, I believe, as a direct result of our reorganization. Chairman Hee provides for all committees to submit action items for full board deliberation and action. He has planned for attomeys in the Rice V5. Cayetano case to brief and dialogue with all trustees; this will be the first time since the case began. Chairman Hee also put before the full board S. 1929, whieh is the federal heahh bill. Working together with Papa Ola Lōkahi through dialogue and deliberation, we provided another example that most reasonable Hawaiians are able to work together without calling eaeh other names and making false allegations. Our committees are working extremely hard to

"catch-up" with the many, many issues confronting Native Hawaiians. The Legislative Committee meets every week under the leadership of Colette Machado, committed to fine-tune administration, trustee and beneficiary efforts for success at the state legislature. The Budget and Finance Committee with Haunani Apoliona coordinating meets regularly so all trustees understand and implement their fiduciary tmst responsibility, with knowledgeable and committed accountability a collective goal. Your Program Management Committee, whieh I will be chairing, is meeting to evaluate programs to see if we are meeting beneficiary needs, attempting to identify and plan "where do we (OHA) go from here?" There is an enormous back log of grant applications originating in 1997, 1998 and 1999 that needs to be processed. The Land Committee, chaired by Trustee Hao, has met and is now taking an active role in the Mauna-a-wākea issue. Maika'i nō! Some of us are still saddened by the need of a eouple of trustees to destroy

everything and everyone who does not agree with them. Obsessiveness may be the greater need to be right at any cost! Auwē. But this too will pass. OHA is moving forward! At our Board of Trustees meetings there are no poliee. Hallelujah! Beneficiaries and staff have told me that the difference ean actually be felt. The 'uhane aloha has returned, intimidation hangs its head in shame. We welcomed Donald Cataluna with chants of aloha and weleome to him and his kūpuna, na 'ohana o Kanoa. We look forward to working with him as he brings to our table actual skills and experience in economics and corporate management. The eanoe is fmally on course and moving - so keep the faith. Remember that not all of our own people are our enemies. We do not need to eall eaeh other names and continue to attempt to destroy those who disagree with us. We don't need enemies in order to prove and win our cause. Hana pono, then shall we persevere. ■

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\ • TRUSTEE MESSAGES

'ln the past two months we have moved the business of our people forward, I believe, as a directresult ofour reorganization.'

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