Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 9, 1 September 2011 — A seamless transition [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A seamless transition

Aloha nō kākou, As you know I will be resigning my post as Trustee from Maui for the

Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Fet me say first that I regret leaving this position and all it entails as well as all whom I have become involved with as a Trustee for OHA. Though my heart be heavy, my soul delighteth, and my eternal eompanion and I look forward to a new chapter in our lives. Next I would like to note that more than 1 63 ,000 vot-

ed for me in the last eleetion. I feel though I am leaving my post that I still have an obligation to them to honor their trust in me and their expectations of me. Married to a Maui girl, living on Maui for 40 years and being a Trustee for nine, I believe I know all who might qualify to replace me for the next three years and therefore I would hope that the board would trust in my recommendation, whieh would ensure that the electorate be honored and their expectations met. I have from day one and as part of every Ka Wai Ola eolumn written by me, espoused federal recognition as the only secure means of preserving our people and our culture. My efforts for the last nine years have been to seek congressional and judicial approval of the process provided by the Akaka bill for Hawaiians to achieve protection from the endless lawsuits whieh have threatened the very legal existence of our people. I have championed with Trustee Stender OHA's involvement in affordable housing and have worked on Maui with a small group of experienced Hawaiian business persons from whom I have learned mueh. We have worked with developers, banks, legislators, county govemment, land owners, state govemment, federal government and others to seek to realize housing relief for Hawaiians and others.

As a result of my interest in providing a sound eeonomie base for the future Hawaiian governing entity, I have, again with Trustee Stender,

entertained a myriad of requests from a wide variety of businesses that could not only provide ineome to the government but provide jobs and homes for Hawaiians. My experiences with these businesses led to the creation on Maui of the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, whieh is now in its seventh year and has

made a definite impact on the island of Maui in eommunity matters as well as improving Hawaiian businesses. Education has been an important element of my tenure and along with health has been a eoneem for all of us on the board. I serve on the UH Maui College Advisory Couneil to ensure that Hawaiians are given every opportunity to receive education and have supported OHA scholarship funding via our budget. Communications has been of special interest to me, and OHA needs to extend more resources to this vital aspect of nationhood. Working with others on matters of mutual eoneem despite differences on other issues must eonhnue. As regards our culture, I have sought inclusion of it in any eonsideration of business, housing, education, grants, govemance, etc. It is the fabric of our existence and promise of our future. Therefore, we must be maka'ala and use reason and eommon sense to forward the interests of the indigenous people for all Hawai'i. Finally, helping to bring and keep the board together and pono with more work and less politics has been extremely important to me. The new Trustee must be able to carry on all of the above. Our beneficiaries deserve no less. I trust the board will agree and provide for a seamless transition. ■

Būyd P. Mūssman VicE Chair, TrustEE, Maui