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| Upside down Hawaiian flag, a state in distress. |
A FEW YEARS BACK, while driving the long-winding but beautiful road to Hana on the island of Maui, flags began to appear in residents' yards. Some of the Hawaiian state flags were right side up, but an almost equal number were upside down, an indication that the state was in distress.
The recent attempt to select delegates to determine the self-governance of Native Hawaiian people has met a surprisingly abrupt conclusion.
The almost two-month election process to select delegates for a gathering in Hawaii to help determine the fate of Native Hawaiians' ability to determine their own future has been cancelled and instead, all 196 Native Hawaiians who ran as candidates will be allowed to participate in the discussion next year.
"Our goal has always been to create a path so that Hawaiians can gather and have a serious and much-needed discussion about self-governance," said Kuhio Asam, president of Na'i Aupuni, a nonprofit that had organized the election.
The almost two-month election process to select delegates for a gathering in Hawaii to help determine the fate of Native Hawaiians' ability to determine their own future has been cancelled and instead, all 196 Native Hawaiians who ran as candidates will be allowed to participate in the discussion next year.
"Our goal has always been to create a path so that Hawaiians can gather and have a serious and much-needed discussion about self-governance," said Kuhio Asam, president of Na'i Aupuni, a nonprofit that had organized the election.
The debate over Hawaiian statehood began as soon as it became a state. Did anyone bother to ask the Native Hawaiians what they preferred? They were basically ignored. The question on the ballot gave voters a choice of statehood or to remain a U.S. territory. There was no discussion about returning to the monarchy that was in place before a group of U.S. businessmen backed by the U.S. Marines took over the royal palace n Honolul
The election, which began in November was supposed to last a month but Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy put a halt to the counting of the ballots early December to allow time to assess the legality of the vote.
Another group of Hawaiians had protested the process because they claimed that it excluded non-Hawaiians, which would make it against the U.S. Constitution.“Clearly our lawsuit (Akina v. State of Hawaii) has brought an end to a discriminatory election,” Keli’i Akina, president/CEO of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, said in a statement. “Now, in a desperate move to bypass their failed election and ignore their voter base, Na‘i Aupuni is undercutting its own efforts to even look like a democratic process.”
“We anticipated that the path would have twists and turns and even some significant obstacles, but we are committed to getting to the ‘Aha where this long-overdue discussion can take place,” said Asam at a press conference last Dec. 15.
He said due to the delays caused by the ongoing litigation – that could continue for years – it was decided that the most effective route at this point would be to offer to convene all of the remaining delegate candidates and allow them to an opportunity to organize Hawaiians and achieve self-governance.
The election, which began in November was supposed to last a month but Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy put a halt to the counting of the ballots early December to allow time to assess the legality of the vote.
Another group of Hawaiians had protested the process because they claimed that it excluded non-Hawaiians, which would make it against the U.S. Constitution.“Clearly our lawsuit (Akina v. State of Hawaii) has brought an end to a discriminatory election,” Keli’i Akina, president/CEO of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, said in a statement. “Now, in a desperate move to bypass their failed election and ignore their voter base, Na‘i Aupuni is undercutting its own efforts to even look like a democratic process.”
“We anticipated that the path would have twists and turns and even some significant obstacles, but we are committed to getting to the ‘Aha where this long-overdue discussion can take place,” said Asam at a press conference last Dec. 15.
He said due to the delays caused by the ongoing litigation – that could continue for years – it was decided that the most effective route at this point would be to offer to convene all of the remaining delegate candidates and allow them to an opportunity to organize Hawaiians and achieve self-governance.
Asam said Na‘i Aupuni will manage the process of the ‘Aha but not the substance of the discussions. “We have retained Peter Adler and Linda Colburn of The Mediation Center of the Pacific to serve as facilitators to lead the instruction week and to thereafter assist in organizing the delegates,” he said. “They will contact the candidates who decide to participate in the ‘Aha.”
The confirmation deadline to participate in the ‘Aha is Dec. 22, 2015. An email will request that the candidates confirm whether they intend to accept the terms and attend the ‘Aha that runs the month of February 2016 and will be held at a meeting facility in Kailua, Oahu. On Dec. 23, 2015, Na’i Aupuni will post the list of delegates on its website.
Asam said a key component of the ‘Aha is the education and information the delegates will receive during the first week regarding constitution building, federal Indian law, international law regarding de-occupation, decolonization, the rights of indigenous people, U.S. Constitution issues that relate to Native Hawaiian self-governance, the ceded lands claim, background on Hawaiian Home Lands, Kingdom Law and constitutions drafted by sovereignty groups.
Na‘i Aupuni is an independent organization made up of a volunteer board of directors from the Hawaiian community. It exists solely to help establish a path to an ‘Aha, or constitutional convention, where Hawaiians can discuss and explore various options of self-determination. Na‘i Aupuni was formed in December 2014 and is separate and independent from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the State of Hawaii. For further information about Na‘i Aupuni and a list of the 196 candidates who will be seated as delegates can be found here.
For more news of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, go to AsAm News.
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