Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 3, 1 March 2000 — OHA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA

From page 1 trustees on the current board. The Feb. 24 emergency meeting brought all trustees together, except Trustee Mililani Trask who was on business in Europe. Trustees met in executive session to discuss their next move, with OHA board attorney Sherry Broder and former Hawai'i Supreme Court Justice Robert

Klein providing counsel. They also spoke via a conference eall with legal advisors in Washington, D.C. All eight trustees emerged from the meeting to address beneficiaries and the media. Trustees flanked Chairman Hee as he rebuked the governor's assertion that he had the statutory authority to remove the trustees. 'As you ean see, by the presenee of the members here and Trustee Trask, who is abroad, this organization and its board of trustees stands united as one in the effort to protect the assets of

the trust," said Hee. "We are not stepping down. And we are not stepping down because there is no legal justification to step down. Further, I believe that the Hawaiian people expect us to continue to execute our duties that we were elected by the Hawaiian people to perform. There is no legal basis to vacate. Just because the governor says it is so, doesn't make it so, as many elected officials have proven time and again." It was that same united front presented by the trustees that they will be taking to the Legislature

to ensure the electoral process and the interests of beneficiaries are protected in light of a handful of bills hurriedly introduced at press time that could affect Hawai'i law as it relates to OHA. Both House and Senate bills were being prepared to bring Hawai'i's law closer to the intent of the Supreme Court's decision, but additional legislation has been prepared that will offer Legislators and subse-

quently all Hawai'i voters the opportunity to change the Hawai'i State Constitution by allowing for a permanent process of appointment of OHA trustees by the Hawai'i governor. If successful, this last bill will certainly wrench away from the Hawaiian community their current right to determine OHA leaders through the ballot box. That bill and the latest plans by the governor will first have to get through OHA's current trustees. "We are sure of what we're going to do," said Hee. "We're not going to vacate. And we will eonhnue to meet with the people (legal counsel/others) whom we believe have the Hawaiians' best interest, have the organization's best interest, have the trust assets' best interest, to listen and develop a strategy. ... "This board intends to be proactive," Hee added. "In the words of the governor, when we were in the Senate, he always said, 'Clay, it's always better to take the offense.' In that regard, he has taken the offense. We intend to respond in kind." At press time, Chairman Hee said he intended to meet with the governor regarding the issue ofthe interim trustees. He also scheduled another meeting ofthe OHA Board ofTrustees for Feb. 28 tofurther discuss plans and alternatives to the governor's intent to replace the trustees as well as all immediate issues related to safeguarding the trustfor OHA 's beneficiaries. ■

"In the words of the governor, when we were in the Senate, he always said, 'Clay, it's always better to take the offense/ In that regard, he has taken the offense. We intend to respond in kind." — Chair Clayton Hee

At an emergency OHA Board meeting Feb. 23, Vice Chair Colette Machado and Chair Clayton Hee listened to community concerns in a room packed with media and OHA beneficiaries.

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