2003-09-11 tsoto911 - Laserfiche WebLink

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FUJIKAWA:Okay. Could you kindly raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the HawaiÒi County Planning Commission? HAUANIO:Yes, sir. FUJIKAWA:State your name and your address, please? HAUANIO:My name Is Lunakanawai Haunio. You can contact me at Po Office Box 522, Kealakekua, HawaiÒi 96750. FUJIKAWA:Okay. You may proceed with your testimony. HAUANIO:Mahalo, Mr. Chair and aloha mai o, County Council Members. I donÓt like to put my back to people so kalamai if I stand up. A PUBLIC:Aloha. HAUANIO:I just, I wanted to give a little observation within the last week, and I heard briefly Mr. YuenÓs interpretation of Aunty Florence question. I think there has been, you know, over a decade of Hawaiian people that came out of the, how you say, the plantation mindset, yeah, and are coming forth to reclaim what they believe is a fundamental vested interest in their home called HawaiÒi. You know, itÓs like everybody forget who or where they live anymore. And they catch the plane, they come to Kona International Airport, they think they when land in California State or Alabama State. Well, interestingly, for those of you who are not aware of this, you have arrived on the lands known as the islands of HawaiÒi. These lands have laws that are deep-rooted prior to November 25, 1892; and that you can find in Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-1. It basically states that anyone who has this vested interest of traditional and customary rights, the law depicted it yesterday as you must have been asserted those rights continuously up to this date in order for it to have any legitimacy. Well, that was that decision or that mindset, and the Supreme Court of HawaiÒi is taking a little detour. Civil rights movement by the black community occurred in 1961 in America. In HawaiÒi, in 1861, thereÓs this case of this white boy as a fisherman on this boat. He complained that heÓs being paid less than one Hawaiian, one kanaka, so he when sue because he couldnÓt get that corrected. Our Supreme Court of HawaiÒi ruled that he has to be paid the same wages and cannot discriminate because of the color of his skin. That was in 1861, a hundred years before American Civil Rights movement. Now the significance of this story is the old mindset, the old plantation mindset of HawaiÒi. Like Mr. Yuen elaborated the kiawe tree, well, thereÓs no law. I beg to differ because there is a law is called malama ka aina, okay? If you donÓt know what that is, then itÓs about time we start learning. The decision of the Hokulia case is not that all developers now got to pack their bags and leave like todayÓs newspaper article says. No, 16