Hawaiian Nationals Once Again Left With No Remedy
On Tuesday by a vote of 0 to 5, Senate Resolution 159 was killed in the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee. They essentially voted not to do anything to fix the problem of rampant discrimination against Hawaiians, specifically, Hawaiian Nationals.
Introduced by Senator Maile Shimabukuro, Senate Resolution 159 called for the State to convene a commission to find ways that Hawaiian Nationals who are currently being abused by institutional discrimination, can live in harmony within the Hawaiian Islands, currently being governed by the State of Hawaii.
Leon Siu, co-author of the resolution stated, “By doing nothing, the State is allowing the continuation of the current practice of nationality discrimination against Hawaiians.”
State and US Federal civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of national origin.
Siu continued, “To their credit the State strives to honor these civil rights for everyone within the Hawaiian Islands, US citizens, Japanese nationals, Chinese nationals, British nationals, and so forth. The only nationality that does not receive equal protection under the law in the State of Hawaii, is the Hawaiian Nationality.”
What or who are Hawaiian Nationals? Like other nationalities, they are the body politic of a nation. They are those who identify with and maintain their first allegiance to a particular nation. Hawaiian Nationals are those whose first allegiance is to the Hawaiian Nation. Most of those who identify themselves as Hawaiian nationals are descended from subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Poka Laenui, another co-author of the resolution remarked “This resolution does not ask the State Legislature to recognize an independent state of Hawaii, a new (or old) Hawaiian government, or any other political entity. It asks instead that the Legislature conform its laws and policies to the reality of Hawaiian Nationals and to remove barriers to their inclusion within the Hawaii society.”
Siu also said “It is ironic that Hawaii, the wanna-be “sanctuary state,” would offer safe haven to all aliens regardless of their background, yet not lift a finger to protect the people who love this land and have lived here for generations.”
