View Point
AFTER serving 17 years in the state Legislature, I have seen a fair amount of intrigue and political manipulation. But never have I seen the amount of game playing that we have witnessed at the state Capitol in the last few months. Senate should give
Anzai a chanceIn a game where the balance of power is delicate and where the outcome of the power struggle can have a devastating effect on political careers, it can leave the losers bitter and unyielding, sometimes too concerned about revenge than healing.
Governor Cayetano's latest maneuver, appointing ousted Budget Director Earl Anzai to the attorney general's post, has escalated the game playing to all out-warfare.
In every battle, there are risks and there are casualties. Few players walk away unharmed. The Senate killed off two of the governor's top administrators and he felt the sting.
In the battle over the confirmation of Attorney General Margery Bronster, there were no winners. The governor and the people of this state lost a qualified and idolized candidate for the job; the Senate lost an immeasurable amount of public confidence and trust; and the legislative session was swept up in the confirmation battle instead of the people's business.
Consequently, we adjourned with the expectation of a special session to correct our mistakes.
From where I stand in the Senate, the view is not good. Many of us were truly surprised at the selection of Anzai and the timing of his appointment.
The governor has never had a close relationship with Senate President Norman Mizuguchi. I don't think they have ever cared much for each other, but over the years they have at least had an amicable working relationship.
The governor has some allies in the Senate but not many, and he does not take rejection well. Although the session ended two months ago, the public is still furious over the Senate's failure to reconfirm Bronster as AG.
This negativity is sure to have an effect on the re-election campaigns of several incumbent senators next year. The governor appears to be taking advantage of this situation.
Some people view the governor's actions as bold and fearless, a public show of disdain for the failure of the Senate to accommodate his agenda. Others see his move as a display of pure arrogance, the same kind of arrogance that got Anzai in trouble with the Senate as budget director.
The public sees this mess as politics as usual. The media editorialized it as "school-yard feuding." But no matter what you call it, this kind of maneuvering erodes public confidence in the ability of the executive and legislative branches of government to work together for the common good.
The Senate needs new leaders who can work with the governor. We need a structural change in the Senate organization, which currently has us at a disadvantage with the House.
For starters, we all recognized that the co-chairmanship system failed, not just within the Senate but for the whole body as well. Committee assignments were made almost solely along the lines of loyalty to the Senate president rather than on experience and expertise on the subject matter.
The lopsided distribution of legislative authority resulted in some committees being overwhelmed, such as the case with the potentially costly mistakes of Ways and Means, while other committees were basically undermined by double, triple and quadruple bill referrals.
Structural change could create a new vision for the Senate. A more even distribution of power could make it happen. Limiting the number of bills introduced, curbing the number of committee referrals, and giving committee chairmen real power to shape legislation could restore the Senate's ability to accomplish meaningful reform and shed the label of a "do-nothing" Legislature.
It would be a way to shine a new light on some reoccurring problems in government and our economy. I believe people are getting impatient for leadership that can offer reform.
But first, there has got to be peace within the Senate. Then the war between the Senate and the governor's office must end. The nomination of Anzai as attorney general was hardly a move in that direction.
It is now up to the Senate to resolve the situation rather than to retaliate. With a special session unlikely, Anzai will have time to demonstrate his abilities as the state's chief legal officer.
Senators have no choice but to give him that chance. They will have an opportunity to evaluate his qualifications and interim performance and vote to confirm or reject him next session. The public will get their chance to do the same for us next November.
Democrat Robert Bunda represents the
22nd Senate District (Wahiawa, North Shore).