[ OUR OPINION ]
Convention bookings
should be kept publicGOVERNOR Lingle has spoken forcefully of the need for "transparency" in state government, but her administration has endorsed a disturbing proposal that calls for a veil over Hawaii Convention Center information. The bill was approved yesterday by the Legislature over opposition by Senate Republicans. Lingle should exercise her veto power to uphold openness in government.
THE ISSUE
The Legislature has approved a bill to allow Hawaii Convention Center booking records to be sealed until 10 days after the events.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Donna Kim, would exempt the convention center's booking records from the state's freedom of information law. Essentially, it would allow the center's clients preferring secrecy to tiptoe quietly into the facility for their conventions without public notice until 10 days after they have departed.
Proponents of the bill say it would enhance the center's "competitive posture by giving the center the flexibility to enter into contracts with potential licensees who require confidentiality as a condition to booking a meeting or executing a license agreement." The reasoning is that the convention center will be more able to compete with privately owned convention centers. By doing so, it would allow the state-owned convention center to wrongfully take on the trappings of a private facility, depriving citizens of access to public information.
The bill's proponents contend that disclosure of bookings threatens the conventioneers' "confidential business or proprietary information." Users of the convention center already are allowed to meet behind closed doors, so that explanation is absurd.
The more obvious reason for secrecy is that some controversial organizations, such as the World Trade Organization and groups for or against abortion rights, may be concerned about being greeted with public protests by their adversaries. The bill would promise a cloak of secrecy in exchange for those organizations' protection money.
"How much are our citizens' rights worth -- a million, 2 million dollars?" Democratic Sen. Les Ihara asked in opposition to the bill. "It is purely for economic reasons that this bill is being proposed."
"There's no way we can justify this bill," agreed Republican Sen. Sam Slom. "There's no way we can talk about open government and sunshine and public information and pass this bill." He said the measure "does not pass the smell test," an assessment with which the Society of Professional Journalists agreed.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Hawaii Tourism Authority testified in favor of the bill, along with Marsha Weinert, Governor Lingle's tourism liaison. Strangely, Lingle herself claimed to be noncommittal.
"I haven't focused on it," the governor told the Star-Bulletin's Richard Borecca last Friday. "I haven't been briefed on it, so it is difficult for me to respond." Lingle should arrange to be briefed on the bill and how, if allowed to become law, it would contradict her promise of a transparent state government.
