Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 2, 1 February 2001 — lt takes courage to make change [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

lt takes courage to make change

ĪHE SHELF life of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is very limited, given the current legal challenges our agency is facing. Lawsuits such as Carroll vs. Nakatani and Barrett vs. State ofHawai 'i threaten the existence of OHA, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and native gathering rights. Legal experts have opined that the seriousness of these cases makes the possibility of reaching the United States Supreme Court very likely. In the Rice vi. Cayetano case, the lower courts upheld OHA's position, but it was overtumed when it reached the high court. On its face, it appears that OHA may be heading down the same road with these latest challenges. These challenges go to the heart of all Hawaiian entitlements such as the Queen Lih'uokalani Trast and the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate. Next month, a motion for preliminary injunction is set to be heard in a hearing before the Honorable Judge David Ezra. This hearing will decide whether OHA will be allowed to continue its operations. OHA has been working very hard to build a solid defense as to why the motion for prehminary injunction should not be granted. In the meantime, OHA wih be providing information to the publie as to the severity of this lawsuit in an effort to educate its beneficiaries on this

important issue. Meanwhile, OHA has completed the organization of its committees. With four new trastees entering their freshmen term on this board, the time for unity is now! Trastees now seated must have the courage to make decisions that are free from political influences — and be able to move away from personal attacks on

eaeh other and focus on taking proactive measures against further assaults on the Hawaiian trast. It wih take courage to make hard decisions and our first eoneem as trastees should not be our public image if it confhcts with

our convictions as to what is right for our people! Our beneficiaries are waiting to see leadership emerge from this office. Let us not disappoint you any longer by perpetuating the "status quo." I am happy to report that trastees voted to choose the chairs and members of the committees individually rather than accepting Chairperson Apoliona's suggested slate. With four new trastees aboard, and OHA facing grave ehal-

lenges ahead, it is imperative that change begin here and now with us — by voting for the chairs of every committee that we beheve will do the very best job for our beneficiaries. I believe the trustees who voted to implement changes will bring a mix of knowledge to the board and bring about a greater level of checks and bal-

ances that will ultimately benefit the beneficiaries that we serve. The onus for change is on us and the time is now! Trastees must decide now if we as nine individuals are ready to move independently, free of

any outside poliheal influence, free of fear of criticism from the press, and free from criticism from our own eonstituency, to make decisions and choices that will benefit our people. If we are traly equals as trastees, then the power should be distributed equally. AUowing every trastee to eontribute where they have expertise wih make OHA a better agency, and its beneficiaries will benefit from its productivity. OHA should not

be about power, control, or politics — it should be about people. We will also need the support of our community to be with us at the state leg- . islature this year when OHA asks for changes in the laws that now govern OHA. ■

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TRUSTEE MESSAGES

With four new trustees aboard, and OHA facing grave challenges ahead, it is imperative that change begin here and now with us — by voting for the chairs of every committee that we believe will do the very best job for our beneficiaries.

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