Free Hawai`i

DOUBTS PERSIST ON AKAKA BILL

Honolulu Advertiser - April 7, 2010

Hawai'i Republicans are getting increasingly conflicted over the Akaka bill for native Hawaiian political recognition.

Gov. Linda Lingle, who supported the measure for seven years against intense opposition by the national GOP, now opposes it — mainly because a new version unveiled by Hawai'i's Democratic congressional delegates and the Obama administration grants a Hawaiian government sovereign immunity from state laws prior to negotiations rather than after as provided by the previous version.

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, a native Hawaiian and the likely Republican candidate for governor in November, made his first major political break with Lingle and is supporting the Democrats' amended bill with reservations.

And now the state GOP's platform committee, which will write the agenda Aiona runs on, is hedging it's longstanding support for the Akaka bill as Republicans prepare for their state convention.

The confusion in the GOP reflects the growing concern in the broader community about what to make of this totally rewritten bill that was sprung by surprise just before House and Senate committee action after months of secret negotiations.

It's clear that the Akaka bill will change life in Hawai'i in profound ways and confer enormous power on a relative few people, but there's been no clear explanation of how it would work, who brokered the new deal and who benefits from the changes.

Nor have there been public hearings in Hawai'i on the changes, and opposition to the bill is growing among both non-Hawaiians who see it as a race-based preference and Hawaiian nationalists who believe it would end any chance of ever achieving true autonomy.

Hawai'i Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka are basically saying, "Trust us," which many are unwilling to accept without more clarity on an issue with so much potential impact on local life and so much opportunity for political mischief....