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Changing Hawaii

By Diane Yukihiro Chang

Friday, October 6, 2000

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Governor Cayetano
is acting beastly

WHAT is the most dangerous, terrifying beast of the animal kingdom? In Hawaii, it isn't the lion, tiger, shark or bear. Not even the brown tree snake.

It's a duck -- a lame duck -- who goes by the name of Benjamin J. Cayetano.

The governor is a tough guy, all right. He takes great delight in his unabashed in-your-face style of leadership and decision-making.

This chutzpah was thoroughly demonstrated throughout his legislative career, remained dormant while serving as lieutenant governor for eight years, and erupted again like Kilauea on his promotion to big guy.

Personally, I admire politicians with guts. It's a rare commodity in a profession requiring a strong yet sensitive index finger, so it can be slicked with saliva and held skyward for long periods of time to determine just how popular a decision might be.

To his credit, Cayetano doesn't give a hoot about how people (particularly Hawaiian activists) react to his mandates.

If he thinks it's the right thing to do, he'll do it. Unfortunately, he ALWAYS thinks he's right -- even when thousands of people try to tell him he's making a big mistake.

Case in point: His pronouncement that the popular Ala Wai municipal golf course will and must be redeveloped into a city park. Period. No discussion to ensue.

Cayetano vows to soon sign an executive order to get this "long overdue project" moving, despite protests from golfers and nongolfers island-wide.

Why didn't Cayetano tell voters six years ago about his grandiose hopes for a course that hosts 176,000 rounds of golf annually, and whose vast majority of players are middle-income residents and the elderly?

The same reason he declared war on the public unions only after his successful 1998 re-election bid.

If Cayetano had revealed his true goals and intentions before that, he'd never have squeaked out two victories against tough GOP wahine opponents and a spoiler named Fasi.

THUS, when the electorate backed him for a second time, the Ala Wai's goose was cooked. Cayetano seems determined to leave a legacy of grand-scale change, after spending most of his two terms putting out budgetary fires and ousting Bishop Estate trustees.

Now he's intent on filling up the Ala Wai's 18 holes, even if in the process he looks:

Imperious. Cayetano is one of the few "haves" in Hawaii who can golf at any private club and military base, while thousands of "have-nots" at the Ala Wai would have a tougher time making it over to a replacement course on Sand Island.

Silly. He wants to "preserve green space in Waikiki" by changing the land usage of an already green, heavily utilized and profitable operation.

Suspicious. Did Cayetano wait until Jeremy Harris was himself safely re-elected, partly because the incumbent mayor is another advocate of "better utilization of the Ala Wai," whatever that means or ominously implies down the road?

Oh, well. All those who supported Cayetano, or who didn't bother to vote against him in the past two gubernatorial races, can only run around and make noises like chickens fleeing from a dangerous predator if they disagree with his plans now.

Take a gander at this predicament! Bet you never thought the sight of a duck, and a lame one at that, could be so scary...

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Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
dchang@starbulletin.com, or by fax at 523-7863.