IN politics you win elections by building from your base. In other words, the first to hear your sermon should be the choir. Later you can convert the masses, but first you must make sure that those who love you, really do. Cayetano, Harris could
split Filipino voteThat dictum was obviously in effect earlier this week, as a pleased Gov. Ben Cayetano received the accolades of the United Filipino Council of Hawaii.
The group's support, however, was coupled with a warning to Mayor Jeremy Harris to back off.
"Leaders of the Filipino community hope to send a message to Mayor Harris . . . that the Filipino community is united in their support for Gov. Benjamin Cayetano," the news release read.
Since the days of Frank Fasi's control of City Hall, much of the Filipino-American vote has belonged to Honolulu Hale. It never was automatic, however, as both Fasi and now Jeremy Harris have actively courted the group.
If Harris decides to run for governor in two years, that Filipino-American vote would be critical, according to Chris Pablo, a longtime political observer.
Mila Medallon, director of the municipal library, was one of Harris' early supporters when he first won City Hall. She is now warning about a dangerous division in the Filipino community between supporters of Harris and Cayetano.
"We have made momentous gains, but we should safeguard our gains from backsliding by not dividing ourselves over issues that bear no meaningful benefits to the Filipino community.
"I see early signs of division or polarization over the 1998 gubernatorial race.
"Shouldn't we be more concerned about working together as a people to address problems instead of dividing ourselves into warring camps over a race two years away?" she wrote recently in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle.
The early endorsement by the United Filipino Council does show Cayetano's strong support among Filipino-American voters.
Clearly, Cayetano is and should be the favorite son. His accomplishments speak volumes to young, struggling immigrants all over the state.
Unfortunately for Cayetano, there are no clear victories in endorsements. Several Filipino-American political observers I talked to warned that an early call of support for Cayetano would produce a backlash among other ethnic voting blocs, including whites and Japanese Americans.
Even the United Filipino Council endorsement carries some baggage as one of its key members is Jose "Joe" Lazo, businessman and chief local apologist for the late Ferdinand Marcos, the former dictator of the Philippines.
The third part of the early ethnic equation for the governor's race is state Sen. Robert Bunda, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House last year. His name is now being circulated as a possible candidate for governor.
WHILE Bunda says he isn't encouraging it and has enough to do in the state Legislature, he does admit he has had supporters ask him to run.
If Cayetano, Harris and Bunda all ran in the Democratic primary in 1998 it would likely cause the Filipino-American vote to split. Analysts predict the bulk of the vote would go for Cayetano, but portions would be with Bunda and Harris.
As Medallon fears, the end result could be a wedge - not a bridge -to real benefits for Filipino Americans.
