Capitol View

By Richard Borreca

Wednesday, April 3, 1996

OHA toots its horn with
taxpayers' money

SINCE its inception, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has always appeared to be more good intentions than good works. In-fighting marked by petty squabbles have focused the public's attention on what OHA trustee was suing which board faction. The games of musical chairs that surrounded the board power struggles served to distract even further.

Board leadership has usually been of the "my way or the highway" style. Chairman Clayton Hee seems to get his way without bothering to reach a consensus among his members.

At times, when being challenged at board meetings, Hee takes to speaking in Hawaiian to address his colleagues, whether they speak Hawaiian or not.

Issues have been almost exclusively about personalities, votes have been by personal loyalties and little attention has been paid to the actual activities of the organization.

The projects that the board has started hold little public interest, because they are overshadowed by the board's antics.

So it is no surprise that the board is not enjoying public support. The board received some of its lowest ratings ever in last week's Star-Bulletin poll. A full 70 percent gave OHA mediocre marks. Only 14 percent thought OHA was doing well.

The lowest marks came from those who watch OHA closest, native Hawaiians. When they were asked about OHA, 55 percent said "poor."

Faced with such publicity, OHA has gone to the pros. It hired the local arm of an international public relations firm, Hill and Knowlton, to burnish its image.

One result of this action is the appearance of TV spots during the evening newscasts telling about OHA's achievements, accomplishments and valuable place in the Hawaiian community.

Few realize that the commercials are part of an organized campaign paid for with OHA money to make people feel better about OHA.

The board voted in January to spend not more than $300,000 to conduct an educational media campaign.

"Its purpose will be to educate community and governmental decision-makers, opinion leaders, Hawaiian beneficiaries and the general public about OHA's creation, history, mission and activities, the state's trust obligation to Hawaiians and the importance of protecting OHA's trust fund revenue stream from the ceded land trust," according to board minutes.

I'm not sure how Clayton Hee would translate that, but the common vernacular is puffery paid for with public money.

IMAGINE if the state Senate, fearing that folks just didn't like it, started running commercials showing how hard the Senate works, how much it cares and how the public benefits from its very being.

Or imagine the City Council ladling up a big serving of PR to convince the folks at home that this is one heck of a Council and it is doing good things for our children.

A $300,000 lobbying, make that educational, campaign can go a long way to help the public understand the very core of your goodness.

Is there a politician who wouldn't love to be able to spend public money on a television campaign to hawk hisexcellent accomplishments and spread the word of hisgood deeds?

OHA, however, eventually will succeed or fail not on its television campaign, nor its public opinion polls, but if it actually does help all the native Hawaiians it was designed to serve.


Richard Borreca reports on Hawaii's politics on Wednesday. Write him at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, 96802 or send e-mail to rborreca@pixi.com.



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