Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 8, 1 August 2003 — Q&A with Freddy Rice [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Q&A with Freddy Rice

"W" "W" ~Taimea rancher Harold Frederick Rice, 1/1/ Jr., a fifth-generation kama'āina, cataf 1 pulted to controversy in 1996 when, represented. by attorney John Goemans, he sued. OHA and. the state for barring non-Hawaiians from votingfor trustees. Four years later, the justices ruled. that the longstand.ing policy violated. the 15th amendment of the Constitution governing voting rights. The Rice d.ecision spurred. other challenges to Hawaiian programs, including the pend.ing Arakaki v. Lingle suit challenging public funding of OHA and. the Department of Hawaiian Home Land.s. Goemans is now d.isputing university tuition waivers for Hawaiians, a $400 million fed.eral loan to provid.e fiberoptic lines to 20,000 Hawaiian homes, a 400-home Hawaiian Homes project, and. the fed.eral tax-exempt status of Kamehameha Schools, whieh extend.s preference to stud.ents of Hawaiian ancestry. In his first interview given in three years, Rice d.iscusses his motives behind filing the landmark case and. other issues impacting Hawaiians with KWO Publications Editor Naomi Sod.etani. KWO: How did you decide to file suit? FR: I felt I should be able to vote in OHA elections, period. John Goemans called me. He had a thing about preferences based on race vs. need, but he couldn't find anybody to be a client. People were scared of retaliation, of being boycotted or yelled at. It turned out I was the perfect person, having my grandkids some Hawaiian, and being a kama'āina haole. With my own business, I answered to nobody. Frankly, I believe the reason the Supreme Court took our case, some of the justices were hoping to abolish affirmative action. Now we have a ruling from the highest court in the land that will be the landmark case in deciding preferences based on race

KWO: What feedback have you gotten since filing suit? FR: I had huge support from Hawaiians. One lady in a haku lei told me, "Freddy Rice, oh, we're so proud of you for what you did for us Hawaiians. But you know what? I still like slap your head." (Laughs.) I got some letters, "You should be ashamed of what you're doing to the Hawaiians," and all that. But they were from non-Hawaiians, usually young liberals. Bleeding hearts. A lot of kids say, "Why can't we just have something just for us Hawaiians?" I tell them, "You do have something, you're born and raised here. You guys, you start a business, your friends and family ean keep you going for two years. Get your education and take advantage." Hawaiians are just as eapahle as anybody of doing well in today's world. so they don't need the help. I have five grandchildren, two are part Hawaiian, so what do we say — "You Hawaiian kids are special so you get this opportunity, or you aren't as good as the other kids that you need to get this special help?" KWO: Do you support the Arakaki suit? FR: Not at all; I disagree with it. If money for low-cost housing comes from OHA for Hawaiians, that's what we said it should do at our constitutional convention. I sued OHA because they used state funds for a group based on race with no accountability to the puhlie. But now they are; so OHA is constitutional. If anything, Rice strengthened OHA's constitutionality. KWO: How do you feel about Hawaiian nationhood and sovereignty? FR: Let me put it this way, my ancestors did not vote for statehood; they preferred the eommonweahh scenario. My great-great-great-grand-father gave up his American citizenship and pledged his loyalty to the king. If I had to make a ehoiee, a citizen of U.S. or Hawai'i, I'd never

think twice, I'd be a citizen of Hawai'i. But OHA should not be involved with sovereignty because they're using public funds advocating the overthrow of the government and the public is not entirely for sovereignty. OHA should just stay out of it, I feel strongly about that. KWO: Are you anti-Hawaiian? FR: I am not anti-Hawaiian. If anything, I am pro-Hawaiian. Most of my friends are Hawaiian. I am all for all things Hawaiian, especially language and education. But I believe those in need should get kōkua regardless of race. Who in Hawai'i is against the Hawaiians doing well? I think the belief of most people who fight entitlements based on race is that they do more harm than good. The one entitlement based on race I have no problem with is health issues, because the diseases had a racial preference. Diseases attacked Hawaiians as a racial group; therefore, they should be entitled to extra care. KWO: Has Rice widened the divide between Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians? FR: No, the opposite. The way it was going, the community had gotten so divided, real us against them. Activists had gained so mueh power that everybody was afraid to say anything. NonHawaiians now have some relief. Last week, at the Maui airport I was standing in line, this haole guy turns to me, "Thank you for what you've done for Hawai'i." It still happens all the time. I'm proud to be part of Hawai'i's history, and I feel it was a plus not a minus. Good for Hawaiians and certainly good for the state. Hawaiians took advantage of being able to play the part of victim and get entitlements based on race. They stepped over the line. The Rice decision made everyone step back. ■

K n i< Ā i< n K Ā

Rice on Rice.

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