Editorials
Monday, May 10, 1999Hawaii’s divided
congressional teamHAWAII'S congressional delegation, which usually votes as a bloc, finds itself divided on the undeclared war in Kosovo. In the Senate, Daniel Inouye voted in favor of a proposal authorizing the president to use "all necessary force" in the conflict. Daniel Akaka was opposed. In the House, Neil Abercrombie voted in favor of a bill to spend $13.1 billion on the war; Patsy Mink was opposed.The issue: The conflict in Kosovo has divided the Hawaii congressional delegation.
Although unusual, the division is understandable. It reflects the ambivalence pervading both the Congress and the public on this conflict. The lack of consensus has made the House look ridiculous as it refused to support NATO's bombing campaign, forbade President Clinton to send ground troops, declined to end the war and then voted to finance it at double the rate the president had requested.
The public has had difficulty deciding what to make of this conflict, which erupted into a world crisis only when Yugoslavia responded to the air strikes by launching savage attacks against Kosovar civilians. It is fair to say that the nation stumbled into this war unaware of the dangers and undecided as to the justification for U.S. involvement.
Abercrombie has been skeptical about the Clinton administration's Kosovo policies and has been active in efforts to find a formula for a peace settlement, traveling twice to Europe as a member of a delegation trying to get Russia involved in negotiations. Yet he voted against a resolution calling for withdrawal of U.S. forces; Mink voted in favor.
Such contradictions extend to the White House, where a president who protested the Vietnam War and dodged military service there in his youth is leading the nation in a conflict that poses some of the same dangers of an extended military involvement against a weaker enemy. Whether Kosovo will end any better than Vietnam did is an open question.
Fatal landslide
THE disastrous landslide at Sacred Falls in Windward Oahu probably could not have come at a worse time -- a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon, when the pool and the surrounding area had attracted dozens of hikers. The result: at least six dead and about 50 injured, in the worst incident of its kind in state history.
Governor Cayetano appropriately extended his sympathy and condolences to the victims and their families and ordered the state flag flown at half staff.
The falls are a popular destination for hikers, many of them tourists. The narrow pass to the falls is subject to flash floods that have stranded hikers, but no incidents such as yesterday's landslide have occurred there in recent history. Landslides are fairly common in the Koolau range, although most occur in inaccessible areas.
Sacred Falls has been closed to hikers until it can be determined to be safe. Other popular hiking destinations, such as Manoa Falls and Diamond Head, should be examined to assess the danger of similar disasters.
However, it would be unfortunate if this accident discouraged people from hiking in Hawaii. For the most part, it's a safe and rewarding experience.
Elections in Fiji
FIJIANS are voting in the first national elections to be held under a new multiracial constitution. The charter, approved in 1997, provides for power-sharing between Fiji's two major groups -- native Melanesians and ethnic Indians -- and could provide a more stable basis for the South Pacific nation's politics.
A military coup in 1987 in the name of indigenous sovereignty overthrew a coalition government of Indian and labor party leaders. Army Col. Sitiveni Rabuka, who engineered the coup, subsequently became prime minister and has led Fiji since. Rabuka has now formed a mixed-race coalition including the main Indian party and has apologized for the racial divisiveness that followed the coup.
Under the new constitution, 46 seats in the 71-seat House of Representatives will be reserved on a racial basis, to be split between indigenous people (23), ethnic Indians (19), minority races (3) and the people of tiny Rotuma Island (1). The remaining 25 seats will be open to candidates from any ethnic group.
Indigenous people make up 48 percent of Fiji's 810,000 population, ethnic Indians 46 percent. About 100,000 Indians left Fiji after the 1987 coup.
Despite the delicate racial balance, economic issues dominated the election campaign. Last year's sugar crop, Fiji's major revenue earner, was devastated by drought. The region's economic crisis has hurt tourism.
However, the key question for many will be whether the Melanesians are prepared to accept political leadership from the Indian community -- as they were not in 1987.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert 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
