Comm No 0005.01 - GMAC Legislative HIstory - Sept 14 2018

Home

state in the United States has, is a game management advisory commission or a council that deals with game management. To be able to mange the game. To... to make sure that not only do we protect our natural resources, but at the same time make... make sure that we protect our traditional and cultural heritage. Hunting and fishing has been part of our heritage for hundreds and hundreds of years. I am old enough to remember when the sugar plantation went on strike and my family was a very poor family, if it wasn't for the hunters, for the smoked meat and the sausage and the fishermen from the... bringing fish from the sea... we would have starved. We would have starved. And my father always told me don't you ever forget... who take... who took care of the family when we had a hard time. It was those that learned and does live off the land and the ocean. And you know what, folks, when you think and... and when I went to this meeting it was so obvious what the people, the hunting community and the fishing community did not have is a voice. Is a voice in the process. Especially when the process is miles and miles away. Decision made by people that do not know our mountains, do not know our oceans, do not know our cultural and... and traditional heritage, and we got to stop that. And that's when Mr. Silvester and others... Mr. Griffiths... Mr. Pacheco strongly suggested that what we need to do is we need to have a game management plan and that's when this idea of doing a commission... that's going to be tied to a governmental entity, that'll be supported by the governmental entity, that has direct link to those of us, that has the capability and authority to produce legislation. And even legislation that we can pass on to our brothers at the State Legislature. Because decisions like this... folks... it's all about... it's all about policies, it's all about legislation. Having meetings in all the different places throughout the County is good and well, but if you have no voice, you have no legislation, I'll tell you what happen... you get pushed to the side. And that's why it is so important that we provide a voice for our local community... hunters and fishermen... and those that respect the re... the recreational traditions that we have and even those that respect the fact that although they may not be hunters, but in our Hawaiian culture in Hawaii... how many of you are not hunters but you know what... you get smoked meat in your freezer. From your hunting partners. You have fish in your freezer from your fisherman neighbors. I mean... I mean... and so it... it's not just for hunters. It's for all of us and I agree with all of the testimony that's come forth supporting this and... and Council members I hope that you... I hope that I have an absolute unanimous vote on this, because all this does, ladies and gentlemen, it puts this question of a Game Management Advisory Commission on to the ballot in November. Even if we don't approve it... even if it's approved by the County Council, it's the people of this island is going to be able to be the one to say yes, we believe this is important. I predict this gets on the ballot, it's going to pass... with flying colors. Because I think the people get it. The people understand. I ask my Council colleagues to support this because it's the right thing to do. But more importantly, I ask you to pass this so that we let the people of the County of Hawai'i vote on this so that the whole State of Hawai'i will know... that the people of this County believe that we need to protect sub... subsistence hunting. We need to protect subsistence fishing. And we need to protect our traditional and cultural gathering rights. Your vote today will do that. Thank... thank you, Mr. Chairman. » Thank you, Chair Yagong. Before I call on Council member Smart for comment, I do wish to ask Madame Clerk Jamae Kawauchi to inform me by voice, and let me know 8