Posted on: Saturday, August 18, 2001

Petition opposes Hawaiian recognition bill

Advertiser Staff

A half-dozen opponents of U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka's Native Hawaiian recognition bill launched a petition drive at the King David Kalakaua statue in Waikiki yesterday.

Organized by the Hawai'i Independence Allegiance, the small protest was intended to alert visitors to Hawai'i that not everyone supports a measure to help Native Hawaiians gain political status similar to that of more than 500 American Indian and Alaska native tribes.

Essentially, the measure would protect federal money for Hawaiian programs and help Hawaiians form a governing entity.

Opponents contend the bill, which awaits floor votes in the House and Senate, threatens to forfeit Native Hawaiians' full claims to land and other entitlements. They say more public meetings are needed because the bill has changed significantly since it was introduced.

Akaka, D-Hawai'i, introduced the legislation last year after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Hawaiians-only voting restriction. The bill passed in the House but stalled in the Senate where it died in the waning days of the 106th Congress. It was reintroduced this year.