OHA’s leader promises
to fight challenges
to native rights, trusts
In a declaration of native Hawaiian resolve, the head of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs vowed yesterday to stand up to any challenge to native rights, trusts and self-determination.
"We will mobilize and respond," said Haunani Apoliona in what she called the first of annual State of OHA addresses at Kawaiaha'o Church.
Apoliona called for an ongoing, strong response to lawsuits against native Hawaiian rights and programs.
"It is clear the long-term goal of most of the proponents of these lawsuits and legislative actions is to dismantle all rights Hawaiians had worked for many years to obtain," Apoliona said.
"Fundamentally, these attacks reinforce the need for Hawaiians to be alert, to react responsibly and to assert our rights for survival," she said.
The State of OHA address is intended to be similar to the president's State of the Union address and the governor's State of the State speech, said OHA Administrator Clyde Namuo. It was the idea of trustee John Waihee IV, son of former Gov. John Waihee, Namuo said.
Apoliona spoke during a traditional service that included prayers, hymns and Scripture readings. U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case and members of several Hawaiian societies were among the congregation.
"We must exercise political activism and not just save it for election time," Apoliona said. "As a people, we need to recognize that rights we once thought were safe are at risk. We can no longer assume that issues we thought were resolved are out of harm's way."
The court cases make urgent the move for federal recognition, she said.
"Without federal recognition, there is heightened risk of Hawaiian rights being eroded, one by one, by public policy or through the courts," she said.
"We need to be prepared for the continuing fight because any chipping away at one Hawaiian right threatens all Hawaiian rights," she said.
While OHA supports federal recognition, the trustees realize it is just one option available to native Hawaiians, Apoliona said. The native Hawaiian government that would replace OHA could choose a different path, she said.
"We at OHA know that federal recognition is not the end-all, be-all," she said. "We know there are potential pitfalls and problems."
The trustees are not supporting federal recognition for self-preservation, but for the preservation of the assets of the Hawaiian people, she said.