AS we head into the middle innings of the legislative session with little progress on fixing the economy, nervous critics are blaming poor leadership. It may be more a problem of poor followship. Legislature should
follow its leadersThe irony is that Gov. Ben Cayetano, Senate President Norman Mizuguchi and House Speaker Joe Souki have shown more leadership on this issue than we've seen in local politics for a long time.
They brought together a task force of top business, labor and community leaders and won unanimous support for a far-reaching plan to revitalize Hawaii's economy.
Cayetano, Mizuguchi and Souki have put their weight behind the plan despite the political controversy it has generated -- even within their own Democratic Party.
They've taken responsibility for making tough political and economic choices and have accepted accountability if the plan fails. For political leadership, you can't get a much better deal than that.
But nobody wants to follow them. Democrats see the package of tax and regulatory adjustments as too Republican. The Republicans don't like that Democrats proposed it. Special interest groups all over town each have enough lawmakers in pocket to block parts they find offensive.
And the voting public is suspicious because the plan was drawn up in secret by a task force of the Status Quo All-Stars. If the task force had broader membership and people had seen how the group arrived at its decisions, the public might be more willing to support the results.
But that debate is behind us. Despite all of the doubts about it, the plan proposed by Cayetano, Mizuguchi and Souki remains the only comprehensive proposal on the table. With the economic news getting worse every day, inaction is simply not an option.
We're at the point where those blocking action have an obligation to come up with workable and equally well-researched counterproposals. It's time for those protecting their special interests over the common good to step up and accept accountability for the consequences of inaction.
Souki urges patience, saying it's a long legislative session and there's always posturing before an agreement is reached.
He's probably right, but the political games are troubling.
Hawaii is a one-party state. The only advantage is that the party in power should be able to get things done. Instead, we have political paralysis. The Democratic Party feels free to oppose the economic plan of its own Democratic governor. Democratic legislators thumb their noses at their own elected Democratic leadership.
Blame for the political impotence that prevents us from ever solving our pressing problems goes directly back to voters. We turn out to the polls in poor numbers every two years and then wash our hands of any responsibility for the election results, leaving nobody with a mandate to lead.
WE have only two acceptable choices if we're going to make any real progress: We can either follow the leaders we've elected or we can elect new leaders we're willing to follow.
In this case, Cayetano, Mizuguchi and Souki are doggedly backing an economic revitalization program that is opposed by both political parties. For their trouble, they get accused of doing it to curry political favor!
Of all the players in this game, Cayetano, Mizuguchi and Souki can make the most credible case that they're trying to do the right thing in spite of the political consequences.