TMT foes blast Ige, University of Hawaii officials

Dozens of Thirty Meter Telescope opponents Friday appeared before the University of Hawaii Board of Regents to condemn the $1.4 billion project and urge members to cut ties with the planned Mauna Kea observatory.

More than 60 testifiers, many of them faculty, students and alumni, chastised, berated and lashed out at UH President David Lassner, the regents, Gov. David Ige and the TMT International Observatory LLC for supporting what they say is the desecration of Mauna Kea.

“I hold you guys responsible for the 34 kupuna arrested that day. It’s the Board of Regents who allowed that to happen,” UH-Maui College professor Kaleikoa Ka‘eo said angrily. “If you dehumanize us, we will no longer tolerate it.”

Ka‘eo, one of the leaders of the “protectors” who have been blocking heavy- equipment vehicles from reaching the construction site near the summit of Mauna Kea, was part of a standing-room-only crowd that spilled outside the board room.

The occasion was a special regents meeting with an action item to establish a “permitted interaction group” to investigate issues and make recommendations related to Mauna Kea, a move aimed at updating newer members of the 12-member board about the issues surrounding the ongoing controversy.

Despite numerous calls from speakers to reject the proposal, the board voted in favor with only Simeon Acoba objecting to the six-member panel’s wide- ranging and undefined mission, among other things.

Outside the meeting, protesters held anti-TMT signs and a large banner that said, “David Lassner Stop TMT now.” Inside, speakers called for Lassner’s resignation.

The UH president did not attend Friday’s special meeting featuring three new Ige-appointed regents and new board Chairman Benjamin Kudo. UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said the meeting was scheduled only a week ago and that Lassner had a prior personal commitment.

With UH tasked with managing the Mauna Kea summit and UH Hilo being the TMT permit holder, Lassner has been under fire as the standoff on Mauna Kea Access Road and Puu Huluhulu has continued for nearly three weeks.

The UH Hawaiian Studies Department called for his resignation, and he has openly expressed anguish about the controversy and how it is pulling at the fabric of the institution.

Over four hours of testimony Friday, speakers urged the UH regents to acknowledge there is desecration, and the hurt and pain to Native Hawaiian students, faculty and alumni. In sometimes emotional testimony, speakers described prejudice, bias and what they called a lack of leadership.

They also implored the regents to send the TMT packing to its backup site in the Canary Islands.

“How can you do anything at this point but apologize?” said UH English professor Cynthia Franklin. “Given the circumstance, you should be voting to stop the TMT.”

Ethnic Studies professor Davianna McGregor said the university is fighting a losing battle against a movement that hasn’t been so united in a common goal since Kahoolawe.

“Continued pursuit of the university will cause a deep rift between the university and our Native Hawaiian community that will take at least a generation to repair,” McGregor said. “It’s not too late to reverse the damage and align the university with the Native Hawaiian community and the UH aspiration to be a Hawaiian place of learning.”

Imaikalani Winchester, UH alumnus and teacher, accused the university of being complicit with violence against Native Hawaiians.

“We encourage you to stand on the right side of history, because this story will be told. Your grandchildren will know what will happen. Our grandchildren will read about it from the books we will write,” he said.

“We will not be broken,” Winchester added. “If the governor wants to issue a two-year extension (on the construction-start deadline), we’ll be here for 7,000 generations.”

Keikai Perry, UH-Manoa Hawaiian studies professor, was among those who criticized the university for its management of the mountain. He urged the board to terminate the TMT agreement and form an independent body to manage the summit.

“We’re no longer willing to have our university conduct its business as usual,” Perry said. “You must choose a more pono approach from this moment forward. Be courageous, regents.”

Jodi Malinoski, chapter policy advocate of the Sierra Club of Hawaii, called for a moratorium on telescope construction on Mauna Kea.

“Astronomy is a noble endeavor, but we find the benefits are outweighed by the harm,” she said. “We respect that for Hawaiians there is only one Hawaii, one homeland, only one Mauna Kea. There is no replacement, no alternative for this particular mountain.”

Vicky Holt Takemine said the entire mountain is a sacred temple, and UH officials know how the Hawaiian people feel about it.

“It’s like, ‘We know this is your temple, but we’re going to build on your temple anyway,’” she said. “This is not a threat. It’s a promise: We not going away.”