Editorials
Wednesday, May 27, 1998

Irish referendum leaves
unresolved issues

PEACE was the clear winner in the referendum in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, but there are many obstacles to be overcome before peace is assured. The first is the June 25 election to fill the 108 seats in the new Ulster Assembly called for in the peace accord. If a significant number of rejectionists are elected, the assembly could be paralyzed.

The overwhelming 71 percent approval of the peace accord in Northern Ireland was rather deceptive. Much of the votes came from the Catholic minority. The Protestants were closely divided. Although the largest political force in Northern Ireland, David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party, endorsed the accord and campaigned for its approval, a rejectionist coalition led by the Rev. Ian Paisley showed that still it commanded considerable support.

Paisley makes no secret of his intention to use seats in the Assembly to wreck the North-South council and to oppose seating any member of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, in the new cabinet. This may not be terribly difficult. The peace agreement provides that the Assembly can enact legislation only with a "sufficient consensus" in both camps -- a majority of Protestant delegates and a separate majority of Catholic delegates.

On the Catholic side, voters will choose between Sinn Fein hard-liners and the nonviolent Social Democratic and Labor Party. If Sinn Fein wins and the Protestants elect rejectionists, the assembly may be doomed. We hope the voters will be sensible enough to elect moderate candidates who will make the plan succeed.

The critically important outstanding issue is disarming the paramilitary groups on both sides. All groups that signed the agreement pledged to work in good faith for disarmament, but that was less than a commitment to disarm, and the IRA recently reiterated that it will not turn in its weapons. Until disarmament is actually achieved, peace will be tenuous at best.

Women in need

ATTENTION, female executives with bulging closets of power suits and dressy office attire: How about helping some fellow "sisters" on Oahu trying to re-enter the job market? Hawaii Women Lawyers and the YWCA's Women's Resource Center have teamed up to create the Clothes Closet Project, an innovative method of dressing needy women in transitional phases of their lives.

These are wahine trying to get off welfare, leaving situations of domestic violence or who were formerly homeless. They want to begin anew, but need wardrobes for that all-important job interview, the first day of work, etc.

That's where the Clothes Closet comes in. It will provide up to three business outfits to each individual wanting to make a fresh start; in return, each woman must work two hours at the project -- sorting, hemming and pressing donated wear.

To start, though, ladies' business clothes (especially suits on hangers) and dress shoes in good condition are being sought. Three convenient drop-off dates for donations have been established at the Richards Street door of the YWCA, across from Iolani Palace: today, from 4-6 p.m.; Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon; and next Tuesday, 6:30-8:30 a.m. Garments will also be accepted at other times at the Richards Street Y's Women's Resource Center, room 306.

Clothing will be made available -- starting July 1 -- on an appointment basis, with most referrals coming from social service agencies and employment offices. This is one way that island women can help others dress for success and straighten out their closets at the same time.

Australia’s ‘Sorry Day’

ADMITTING you were wrong is not easy, but Australians have done it by observing a national day of commemoration for thousands of Aborigine children who were forcibly removed from their families under policies that are now considered tragically misguided.

For about 60 years until the early 1970s, Australian state and federal policies directed the removal of Aboriginal children from their families and placing them in government care. It was believed that the Aboriginal race was dying out and the children needed protection. As many as 100,000 children were affected. Unfortunately, many children were physically and sexually abused and treated as virtual slaves. Many never saw their families again.

One year ago the Australian Human Rights Commission released a report recommending that governments, churches and other authorities involved in the children's removal formally apologize and that an annual day of commemoration be held. The first one was held yesterday.

Ceremonies were held in the residence of Australia's first colonial governor, churches and in outback classrooms to mark the first national "Sorry Day." Aboriginal elders were given more than 600 "sorry books," with notes and signatures of about 500,000 people offering personal apologies.

Prime Minister John Howard has expressed personal regret at the removal policies but considers a formal national apology inappropriate. Instead, he maintains, the government should improve health services, housing and education for impoverished Aborigines. Howard is wrong on the apology issue but at least he wants to make amends.

Probably the best parallel in U.S. history is the apology and reparations approved by Congress for the World War II internment of Japanese Americans. Another might be the apology for the U.S. role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. However, neither issue involved many thousands of personal apologies as in Australia's remarkable "Sorry Day."

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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO

John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher

David Shapiro, Managing Editor

Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor

Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors

A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor