Editorials
Friday, September 13, 1996
The Hawaiian vote was
an essential first step
THE result of the Hawaiian plebiscite was a substantial vote in favor of electing delegates to propose a Hawaiian government - a historic achievement for the sovereignty movement. However, there were negative factors that made the endorsement lukewarm and left the future of the movement uncertain.
Opponents of the vote were quick to point out that fewer than 40 percent of the eligible voters returned the mailed ballots. There were 22,294 votes in favor and 8,129 opposed - nearly a 3 to 1 margin - but the votes in favor were only a small percentage of the 200,000-plus Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians.
This does not constitute an overwhelming mandate. Presumably the efforts of opponents of the plebiscite, who urged people to boycott it because it was financed by the state, had an effect. In fact, some of them are claiming victory for their obstructionist tactics. But it is equally plausible that many Hawaiians didn't vote because they are not interested in sovereignty or think its prospects are too remote to bother.
There are of course other complications, including the lawsuits still pending against the vote and their implications for further developments.
There is the question of whether the state will help finance the election of delegates and the holding of a sovereignty convention, and perhaps a plebiscite to ratify the convention's decisions. Governor Cayetano says no. But Clayton Hee, chairman of the board of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, has indicated OHA may take on that responsibility, at least in part. An attempt to attract private contributions is also being made.
There is the continued opposition of some sovereignty advocates to any state or federal involvement in the process, which could cast doubt on the validity of whatever decisions the convention might make. Some of this opposition seems transparently self-serving, but it cannot be discounted.
Finally, there is the question of how the non-Hawaiian people of this state and the federal government will react to whatever decisions Hawaiians make regarding sovereignty.
Despite claims to the contrary, the Legislature had only good intentions in appropriating funds to conduct the plebiscite and there is no valid reason to question the results on grounds of state control. The question of sovereignty must be discussed by the Hawaiian community and decisions made that reflect the views of the majority. The plebiscite was an essential step in that process. Now it is time for Hawaiians to take the next step, with the state playing a supportive role if needed.
Chemical weapons ban
FACING the probability of defeat, proponents of a chemical-weapons treaty negotiated by the Reagan and Bush administrations and signed by President Clinton have withdrawn their attempt at Senate ratification.
Scuttling of the treaty would have been a serious blow to the nearly three-decade effort to ban most chemical weapons, which can be as dreadful as atomic bombs. Perhaps the prospects for ratification will be more favorable after the elections.
Setback for victims
A federal judge seemed to us to be exceeding his authority when he ordered Swiss banks to relinquish accounts believed to be the property of the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. As it turned out, a federal appeals court thinks so, too. The court overruled District Judge Manuel Real, who had ordered the transfer of money in the accounts to a fund to benefit human rights victims of the Marcos regime. The accounts reportedly contain $475 million, which the judge sought in partial payment of a $1.9 billion award to the victims made by a jury here.
The ruling is a major setback for the 10,000 human rights victims who are trying to collect their award. The Philippine government is claiming the same money on grounds that Marcos stole public funds. At this point it's anybody's guess whether the victims will ever be compensated.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership
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