Idea for Mauna Kea ‘peace park’ is slammed

Hawaii island Mayor Harry Kim and his idea of turning Mauna Kea into an international peace park were thrashed during nearly two hours of testimony Thursday before the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees.

The criticism was leveled by those who object to the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope being a part of the mayor’s conceptual plan.

“I implore OHA not to support this,” Andre Perez told the board in Honolulu. “Even entertaining the idea of creating some type of technological science peace park for the world … is stirring up a hornet’s nest.”

The commentary was offered during the public testimony period at the beginning of the meeting. By the time Kim rose to speak, he said he felt beaten up.

“I never felt so negative in my 78 years of life,” he said.

Kim blamed some of the criticism on himself for using the word “park” in describing the idea, saying some have interpreted it as meaning he was suggesting an industrial park.

That’s not it at all, he said, but the mayor was short on specifics during nearly 40 minutes of addressing the board. He did say the mountain can be “a living museum for the first nations people of Hawaii” and “an international monument of indigenous people all over the world.”

“I believe Mauna Kea can be a place of pursuit of knowledge, to make us a better people and better stewards of this land,” Kim said. “Mauna Kea can be and should be a monument for the world for peace on earth.”

“Do I think Mauna Kea can be done right? I think so,” Kim said. “Because part of it will be to teach the world that you people were wronged. That’s what I meant by a living museum.”

Kim didn’t exactly say how the TMT fits into his peace park. Asked directly about it by trustee Dan Ahuna, Kim talked about nuclear war. Asked about the TMT after the meeting, he said the various countries backing the project have their own indigenous people.

While addressing the board, Kim criticized the University of Hawaii for doing a poor job of managing the summit region. The mountain deserves a different management structure, he said.

Kim said OHA should be involved in that management because the summit is made up of ceded lands, the former crown lands of the Hawaiian monarchy.

“Management shouldn’t go forward without the heavy involvement of OHA in partnership with the state,” he said.

In making the statement, Kim was in alignment with the OHA board, which has been working behind the scenes to wrest control of the mountain away from the university.

Entering formal mediation nearly two years ago, OHA has been discussing proposals with the state in hopes of gaining some degree of oversight of the summit of Hawaii’s tallest mountain. But discussions have recently stalled, according to Ahuna, and the trustees again might consider suing the state over the issue.

Earlier, testifiers urged the trustees to reject Kim’s peace proposal, especially if it will allow construction of the $1.4 billion TMT.

Some of them suggested that turning the mountain into a tourist attraction would only result in transforming it into another Waikiki.

Manu Kaiama called the peace park proposal “a mere distraction” taking away from the critical issue of the TMT.

“Do not spend any of your precious time or your mana on this proposal,” Kaiama said. “You don’t have the energy or the time to entertain it. Instead, you should be focused on stopping the TMT from being built, and then decommissioning all the rest.”

Ka‘iulani Milham said the proposal shouldn’t be imposed on a mountain the Hawaiian people consider sacred.

“Our lahui (nation) is not going to stand by and let this happen,” she said. “I know many people who are going to be arrested next time. Whatever it takes, any kind of plans that would allow the TMT will be defeated.”

Malia Marquez of Hawaii Kai also urged the trustees to reject the proposal.

“I have much respect for Mayor Kim, but in my heart, when I read what he was proposing, the only words that came to mind were, Can’t we just leave her alone?” she said. “Seeing telescopes there … and sugarcoating it as a park, I just feel that in my heart that making it a Waikiki should never happen. Having anything up there is just not necessary.”