Synopsis: Should we support managed tourism, which seeks to maximize profit that will ultimately be exported to other parts of the world and subsequently be of little value to the people of Hawaii?
Aloha mai nō kākou e nā hoa mālama ‘āina. No kākou kēia ‘āina, a na kākou nō ho‘i ia e mālama. He hana nui na‘e ia mālama ‘ana inā he nui nā malihini e kipa mai ana i kēlā lā me kēia lā. Ua like ia me ka mālama ‘ana i kekahi pā‘ina nunui ma loko o ko kākou hale pono‘ī iho nō. Nui nā hana e lawelawe ai ma ka ho‘omākaukau ‘ana i ka hale, he ho‘oma‘ema‘e ma mua a ma hope o ua pā‘ina nei. Nui ka wai, ka uila, a me nā pono ‘ē a‘e e lilo ana i ia mau malihini i ka ho‘ohana ‘ia. Hele a pa‘apū nā lumi o ka hale, a pa‘a pū nō ho‘i me nā holoē a kākou o ka holo ‘ana mai kahi kū‘ono a kahi kū‘ono aku o ka hale. A he mau mea hou aku kā kākou e uku ai no ka pono o ka po‘e malihini, ‘o ia ho‘i, nā hola hana a nā māka‘i, nā kīnai ahi, nā koa kia‘i lāhui, a pēlā wale aku. Pehea lā e pono ai kākou po‘e kūloko? E aho paha ka ho‘ēmi ‘ana i ka heluna o nā malihini a kākou e ho‘okipa mai ai. Aia nō paha ka pono ‘o ko kākou kamawae ‘ana. E ‘ae wale nō i kekahi e komo mai a e kāpī i kekahi, a i loko nō o kona kū ‘ana i ke aloha ‘ole.
E ho‘omanawanui mai, e nā makamaka, i ko‘u kāpī ‘ana i kauwahi helu ma luna o ko kākou wahi ‘atikala nei. ‘A‘ohe o‘u mākaukau loa i ia māhele ‘o ka makemakika, akā, he mea ia e ho‘ākaaka ai i ka nui o ka pilikia. Wahi a ka Pacific Business News, he 9.6 miliona malihini i kipa mai i ko kākou pae‘āina i loko o ka MH 2023, a he 7% ke emi ‘ana o ia helu mai ka heluna nui o ka MH 2019, ma mua ho‘i o ka ma‘i ahulau. Ma kahi ia o ka 800,000 i kēlā me kēia mahina. A ‘oiai he 1,435,138 ka heluna o ka po‘e kupa ‘āina (resident) o Hawai‘i nei, he malihini ke 36% o ka po‘e ma ko kākou pae‘āina nei i kēlā lā me kēia lā. Hele a lē‘ī wale ka pae‘āina, i ka nu‘a nā malihini! A no ka nui o kā lākou kālā e ho‘olilo ai ma ‘ane‘i, makemake ke aupuni e ho‘onui i ia heluna.
I ke kama‘ilio ‘ana me kekahi lālā kahiko o ke kenekoa moku‘āina, me Clayton Hee ho‘i, e pili ana i kēia ‘ano hana a ke aupuni, ua hāpai maila ‘o ia i kona mana‘o kuhi no ia mea he Pringles, he kipi ‘uala kahiki. Ua kaulana ka Pringles i ka ho‘opapa ‘ia ‘ana o kāna mau kipi i loko o kekahi poho kiupe. Ua like a like kēlā me kēia kipi, a no laila, ua pili loa kekahi i kekahi, a pēlā ho‘i i ho‘onui ‘ia ai nā kipi e komo ana i loko o ka poho ho‘okahi. ‘O ka nui o nā ‘ano hui kipi ‘uala ‘ē a‘e, e ho‘okomo lākou i nā kipi i loko o kekahi ‘eke ‘ea i ‘oi aku kona nui ma mua o ka poho Pringles, eia na‘e, ua hapa mai ka heluna o nā kipi. Wahi a ke kenekoa Hee, pēlā nō ka hana a ke aupuni i ka ho‘onui ‘ana i nā malihini e hele mai ana i Hawai‘i nei. Eia kā lākou ke ho‘onui nei i ka heluna o nā malihini e hele mai ana i ko kākou mau mokupuni li‘ili‘i nei. E mana‘o ana paha nā luna aupuni ē, ke nui a‘e nā malihini, e nui a‘e ana ke kālā e loa‘a mai ana i ka moku‘āina. Wahi a ke kenekoa Hee, ua halahū loa ia mana‘o!
Eia ho‘i ka mea ‘āpiki. ‘O ka nui o ia kālā i lawe ‘ia maila e ka po‘e malihini, ‘a‘ole ia he mea e kū‘ono‘ono ai nā kupa o Hawai‘i nei. ‘A‘ole ho‘i e mālama ‘ia ana ma Hawai‘i nei
Ke lawe ‘ia a‘ela lae la lae lae
E nā hui kāloa‘a lae la lae lae
A lilo wale a‘e lae la lae lae
I nā malihini lae la lae lae
A no laila, na lākou malihini nō ia e mālama iā lākou iho. ‘A‘ohe waiwai o ko kākou mālama ‘ana i ka ‘oihana ho‘omāka‘ika‘i malihini.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
