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Protesting, marching and now civil disobedience are only the first steps. Across the state, on Mauna Kea, in Waimanalo and now Kahuku the grumbling has grown to a roar as local folks want action on their complaints.
On the Big Island, it is
Native Hawaiian protests over what they see as a state-sponsored disrespect for Native Hawaiian traditions and beliefs. In Waimanalo’s Sherwood Forest, it is a complaint of cultural insensitivity as the community says the city is ignoring its wishes. And in Kahuku, it is a state turning aside years of worries about towering windmills about to loom over the tight community.
There’s a fourth pot simmering on another burner as the federally planned Ala Wai watershed project proceeds. It is in the courts, but again the state is going ahead with funding, even though the Legislature has already rejected the Ige administration’s plan to encumber the millions to match the federal grant. So Ige and company found a way to raise the money by selling certificates of participation bonds, which don’t require legislative approval, according to recent Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports.
A noted disapproval was registered by Rep. Sylvia Luke, House Finance chairwoman, who called “this course of action very strange indeed.” In an interview, Luke said the House is asking how the administration has the power to act without legislative consent.
Luke and company will not have to chain themselves to the doors of the state Budget and Finance office to get action from the state. A hearing on B&F’s budget plans or a stern glare from Luke is usually enough to bring the bureaucrats into line.
Maybe that’s what local citizens need: more power over government.
For instance, giving neighborhood boards subpoena power would help restore local trust in government. If local groups could officially require developers, state agencies and government heads to publicly answer questions from an engaged citizenry, it would go along way toward calming the mistrust.
The other side of the coin is also true. Just saying “no” is not enough; saying you want to roll back the clock is impossible.
The folks on Mauna Kea, in Waimanalo and in Kahuku need to become part of the solution — they must become advocates for something, not just a problem.
If all the Mauna Kea protesters have is an infantile refusal to negotiate, then even if they stop the Thirty Meter Telescope, they lose the public. Like the Beatles said: “You say you got a real solution / Well, you know / We’d all love to see the plan.”
Mauna Kea protesters can block telescopes on a mountain, but what has been accomplished? How are Native Hawaiians faring regarding homelessness, poverty, economic marginalization, health conditions?
Much the same can be said for Waimanalo, which is also lacking a plan or a response beyond “No.”
It is only in unpretentious Kahuku where the need for compromise is required by both sides. Virginia-based AES Corp. should explore what it means to be a neighbor in a long-term relationship. Winning today may not mean winning 15 years from now. The community has followed the rules, but the permit process may not have been all that was needed.
More talk and not just saying “no,” should be the needed plan.
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.
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