Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 2, 1 February 1999 — OHA's failure to serve beneficiaries [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA's failure to serve beneficiaries

IN RECENT weeks, I have witnessed irresponsible acts at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, In fact, OHA may be in serious, legal breach of its fiduciary responsibility by failing to include beneficiaries in the biennial budget process. Hawai'i Revised Statutes, Chapter 10, states OHA must meet on eaeh neighbor island and facilitate an open and "meaningful" budget presentation to beneficiaries before submitting the budget to the legislature. In October, OHA's administrator notified trustees that community meetings would be completed by Dec. 15. That did not occur. Instead, the administrator proposed to eliminate the budget presentations from Chapter 10. Fortunately, the measure failed. (Note: This is one of OHA's few specific mandates to go out to the communities for direct input from beneficiaries.) Unfortunately, Hawaiians will not have an opportunity to review OHA's budget, and trustees will not have the opportunity to account for funds expended or justify programs. Equally troubling are discriminatory actions at the trustee level. As an elected Hawaiian representative, it is imperative that I conduct business from OHA's O'ahu offices. Thus, state law provides all neighbor island trustees with a travel

allowanee for official business. HRS Chapter 10 states, "Members of the board...shall be allowed transportation fares between islands...[and] shall be allowed personal expenses while attending board meetings or while on official business as authorized by the chairperson, when those board meetings or offieial business shall require a member to leave the island upon whieh the member

resides." Clearly, the law says travel allowances are restricted to meetings and official business. Chairman Akana still refuses to approve my requests. I made these requests for three specific purposes: • to begin legislative dialogue with native Hawaiian beneficiaries on O'ahu (including the O'ahu Hawaiian Civic Clubs); • to meet with legislative representatives on Maui and O'ahu;

• and to review the studies and requests that eome through my office on

a aauy oasis. Akana's rationale l was that my meetings with beneficiaries and | legislators are not "authorized" and thereI fbre, not "official OHA business." However, I travel requests made by the other four neighbor [ island trustees (Trask, ? Hao, Springer and Keale) have all been approved. Attempts to plaee this policy issue I on the Policy and Planning Committee agenda have met with Chairman Moses Keale's

denials. Keale's response is that "the existing guidelines are sufficient" and that "a discussion on the travel policy is not necessary." Apparently, some trustees are not interested in addressing a nebulous policy that is now a political tool for discrimination. Īhe critical issue is that Akana's policies are interfering with my ability to perform my duties as I am now forced to personally encumber my trustee travel expenses. I am pre-

vented from serving my constituents, the Hawaiian people. Nevertheless, I will continue to perform my duties as an elected trustee by personally funding all of my trustee travel expenses out-of-pocket. Hawaiians are losing on two levels. First, the beneficiaries are disregarded when OHA fails to present its budget to the community according to state law. Second, OHA is implementing punitive and discriminatory policies affecting all beneficiaries. One bright spot amongst all this discord is the governor's decision to uphold my appointment as a commissioner for the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission. Previously, I begged tmstee Akana to not interfere with my KIRC appointment. I informed her of my commitment and previous three-year service as the KIRK representative. I also reminded her that my current term expires in 2001. Akana, disregarding my lawful appointment and my previous three-year commitment to the island, zealously attempted to install Trustee Clayton Hee as my substitute. Auē, minamina kēlā! All is not lost. Beneficiaries, now more than ever, must be diligent in their tracking of OHA activities. OHA eannot stop the power and will of the people! ■

TRUSTEE MESSAGES

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