The state must carefully consider the process it uses in resolving the Mauna Kea standoff. Any use of force to remove the protesters/protectors would do irreparable damage to how Hawaiians see a state government that has rarely been receptive to indigenous Hawaiian issues.

On the other hand, a conciliatory policy that honors and reflects the protectors’ own use of peaceful negotiation, no matter how long it takes, shows respect for the beliefs of the host culture and helps to ensure that they will feel part of a future that may, or may not, include a Thirty Meter Telescope. Our own island relations are more important than any science that another telescope could uncover.

Robert Graham

Kuilima

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