Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 5, 1 May 2015 — Hawaiians do not oppose science [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiians do not oppose science

As we bear witness to the largest awakening that has occurred amongst our people since the 1970s, I am filled with pride and hone that we will see an

awakening of all those who live in and love Hawai'i to recognize that Hawaiians are not secondclass citizens in their own home. That what is good for Hawaiians is good for all of Hawai'i. The fearlessness of the young Warriors camped out on top of Mauna a Wākea have sparked an awakening in new generations of Hawaiians to rise up and stand for what is PONO. It is critical that the messaae of PONO (halanee) is

at the center of this struggle. Loeal media and the science community have and will continue to frame this struggle as Hawaiians vs. Scienee. Hawaiians vs. Progress. This is not accurate in any way. I have yet to hear any of those individuals leading this effort say that they are against the science behind the telescope. What they are opposed to is the process by whieh the telescope has been allowed to begin construction and they are opposed to the fact that UH and organizations backing the telescopes over the years have not held up their end of the deal and are not acting as good stewards of the mountain. I have yet to hear responses that dispose of these arguments. There are 13 telescopes atop the Mauna now. The agreements governing the maintenance and decommission processes for those telescopes have not been adhered to or properly enforced. Yet, the largest and most intrusive of all the telescopes has been forced through and construction was given the green light even while legal challenges are pending. The crux of the battle as I see it is that the Warriors have called foul on the State and UH. I

am in agreement with them, we saw what happened with the SuperFerry when processes are undermined. In that instance, what very well might have been a benefit to the State travel indnstrv was stonned in its

tracks when the PEOPLE cried foul and demanded the processes be followed. When will decision makers learn that this type of political gaming will no longer fly in today's age of instant information accessibility? I applaud the young Warriors for stepping up. I applaud them for their tenacity and perseverance and amPROUD to support their efforts. This struggle also has another component. Balanced arowth and

development. This generation has been raised reading and hearing about the adverse environmental impacts of unchecked growth of industry and development. They have a different set of priorities than the past eouple generations, mainly, that the bottom-line benefit of such projects shall not be based solely on monetary profit, but that social and cultural margins must also be accounted for. Thus, the emphasis is to focus on sustainable growth, investment in elean projects that minimize environmental and eultural impacts while maximizing social benefit. There is lacking in this current project the social benefit element for Hawai'i. A few hundred temporary construction jobs andless than 150 permanent jobs, none of whieh are guaranteed to loeal residents, are not worth the impending uproar that this project will cause. Mauna a Wākea is a global spiritual ieon that represents Mana and Pono not only for Kanaka Maoli but for all native indigenous peoples around the world. The largest geological feature on our planet has heeome the focal point for all peoples to unite. ■

Dan Ahuna VicE Chair, TrustEE, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau