STAR-BULLETIN / MARCH 1959 A bill that passed the Senate calls for a 50th-anniversary celebration that would cost the state $250,000. Iolani Palace was the site of a statehood celebration in March 1959.

Party plans stir debate

As Hawaii nears its 50th anniversary as a state, the debate is warming up at the state Capitol: Some say Hawaii should never had been annexed to the United States, while others see the ties as protection with benefits.

Senate Bill 1438, which passed Thursday, calls for a celebration of being the 50th state in 2009 and would cost the state $250,000.

The party would entail public activities throughout the year and a series of events in August, the month Hawaii began to "benefit greatly from statehood, particularly the rights, privileges and protections ... the United States provide," according to Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, who introduced the bill.

What exactly is celebrated has some worried.

"The annexation of Hawaii was totally unorthodox," said Jon Van Dyke, of the University of Hawaii's school of law. "The Hawaiian people were systematically repressed. The question of Hawaiian rights is unresolved."

But he said, "It would be very useful to examine Hawaii's history, and I hope it (the celebration) would be a serious examination."

Despite the historically loaded and sometimes heated topic of statehood, "It's fascinating that there is a dialogue now," said Anne Misawa, assistant professor at the University of Hawaii's Academy for Creative Media and documentary maker.

Last year's celebrations were loudly opposed by some native Hawaiian groups.

To prevent similar discord in the larger 50th-anniversary celebration, a 51-member committee would be appointed by Gov. Linda Lingle. Representatives from groups like students, academia, native Hawaiians and the faith-based community are to make up the committee.

It is important to commemorate the 50th state in its 50th anniversary, according to state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert.

The bill is likely to pass in the House. "All our legislators are very supportive in having a celebration," Wienert said.

Misawa, now working on a film about Hawaii's statehood, said, "It's not a black-and-white issue." Many people interviewed for the documentary welcomed the civil rights and respect they gained through becoming part of the United States.

"There is an apparent gap between people who lived in that time and the younger generation," Misawa said.

When something as controversial as statehood is celebrated, "you're going to have some sensitive responses," she added.

A House bill dealing with the anniversary is scheduled to be heard at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday by the Tourism and Culture Committee in House Conference Room 325.