Native Hawaiians get space in national Dem platform

With the urging of former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, the Hillary Clinton Democrats and the Bernie Sanders Democrats found something to agree on at their just-concluded platform committee meeting in Orlando, Fla.: support for Native Hawaiians.

Hanabusa, who is running for her former congressional seat, was a Clinton delegate to the platform committee, which is composed of representatives picked by Clinton and Sanders.

Since 1992, the Democrats have tucked something into their national platform recognizing Hawaiians.

Twenty-four years ago, concern about Hawaiians was tacked onto a section titled “Civil and Equal Rights.”

It urged the U.S. “to recognize its trustee obligations to the inhabitants of Hawaii generally, and to Native Hawaiians in particular.”

Over the years it grew with more stipulations. Former Gov. John Waihee helped support the Hawaiian recognition plank, but he noted that with a nod toward “economy of language, there has been some shrinkage.”

Before last week, the Democrats’ national platform said “Democrats also support efforts for self-determination and sovereignty of Native Hawaiians.”

The amended platform plank is stuck in a section, “Honoring Indigenous Tribal Nations,” but goes at some length to discuss self-governance and self-determination and then urge “proactive actions by the federal government to enhance Native Hawaiian culture, health, language, and education.”

Waihee praised the addition, saying the “symbolism is important.”

“There are a million things that could be in the platform, so it is important that it is included,” Waihee said in an interview.

Hanabusa said her amendment was prepared with help from the local Democrats’ Native Hawaiian caucus, but when she got to the Florida meeting, she found that there was a move to have Native Hawaiians included as an American Indian tribe.

“Hawaii always gets lumped together with Indians. I jumped up with a point of order; we are not compromising for that,” Hanabusa said in an interview.

“We’ve got much more to do. They clearly need to bring it to the forefront because people need to understand how people are treated,” Hanabusa said.

Party officials were describing the platform as “the most liberal and progressive platform” that has ever been passed by the Democrats.

Observers said that Sanders’ delegates were able to force changes to the platform on climate change and increases to the minimum wage, but there were still some tense moments.

Hanabusa said a move at the end of the meeting to specifically mention Clinton as the presidential nominee was met with so much protest and shouting that it was withdrawn.

“The people went crazy, they shouted ‘No!’ So there were some moments when emotions ran high,” Hanabusa said.

Still, she said, the end result of the platform-building exercise will be to bring together the Sanders and Clinton troops.

“Bernie people who were part of the negotiations on the platform, the delegate leaders, I think they will be united,” Hanabusa said.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.