Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 1, 1 January 1999 — Chairperson's message [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Chairperson's message

Entitlements IN HIS inaugural speech on Dec. 7, Governor Cayetano made a pledge to the Hawaiian community. "And I pledge here and now," he said, "that I will leave no stone unturned in setthng the state's differences with OHA over ceded lands. Before the end of my term we will reach a settlement whieh is fair and just to all, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian." In the short time that I have been the chair of the Board of Trustees, I've made clear that one of my priorities is to seek what is fair for our people. We have waited mueh too long for the state and federal govemments to lend credibility to their words. I am hopeful that the govemor's words are not empty words to be added to the pile of rhetoric dating back to the annexation in 1898, when 1.8 million acres of government and

crown lands were taken. A Joint Resolution of Annexation provided that money ffom the ceded lands would be used solely for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands. Since that time we have waited for these words to take on credibility. Hawaiians ean no longer afford to wait for governments to keep their word. It should be clear to everyone by now that waiting cannot be one of our options. The Organic Act whieh established Hawai'i as a U.S. territory, also provided that ceded lands would be used for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands. As we work toward achieving faimess from the state in negotiations on the Heely rulings, we must be equal partners in these negotiations. Some suggest that compromise is the key. I whole-hearted-ly agree. OHA and its beneficiaries have compromised. That's

why we receive only 20 percent of proprietary revenues instead of 100 percent. That's why the state forced Act 329 upon the

Hawaiians, whieh capped OHA's revenue at $15 million for two years, while the state worked out its fiscal problems. The eap

expires on June 30. The state is not any closer to any real negotiating numbers than it was two years ago. How serious do you suppose it is in negotiating a settlement with OHA? The public comments made by the govemor are troubling. He said he was very comfortable with the $15 million eap. Also troubling is the fact that Calvin Say, the new speaker of the house, decided not to name a Hawaiian Affairs Committee because, he said, the subject was not important enough! The biggest issue facing the legislature is the ceded landclaims! Calvin Say has put Hawaiian affairs in the hands of the Judiciary chair. This is the committee that will hear Hawaiian bills and have the ability to change the laws of the land. The committee members want to make sure they create a bfll up to statutory muster. So in one fell swoop, they ean destroy OHA and the 20 percent share of rev-

( enue entitlements. This maneuver is a blatant example of the house leadership's confidence that it ean wipe us out. I am happy to see that the govemor is publicly moving his position from not being able to afford what OHA is claiming as its rightful share of ceded lands revenues to a position of settling our differences. In advocating for Hawaiian ceded lands and entitlements, OHA must put its best team together to represent us. People who are akamai and experienced. Recently, the Board of Trastees approved a team eonsisting of Trastees Clayton Hee and Mililani Trask and myself as primary members. We trastees must have you alongside us as we journey to our evenmal and rightful end: lr Justice. From now on, it will take all Hawaiians to stave off any attack. ■

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TRUSTEE M ESSAGES

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