Bush naming Marumoto to Pacific Islanders panel
By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — President Bush intends to appoint state Rep. Barbara Marumoto, who headed his campaign in Hawai'i, to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Advertiser library photo • July 31, 2000
Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, who helped get the commission started under President Clinton, was disappointed that the list of proposed members included no Hawaiians but pledged to work with Marumoto and the other 13 appointees.
State Rep. Barbara Marumoto is the only Japanese American appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Marumoto, R-17th District (Kahala, Wai'alae Iki), is the only Japanese American appointed to the panel and one of two from outside the Mainland.
In addition to Marumoto, the appointments to the commission, announced late Friday, include two Samoans, three Chinese Americans, three Korean Americans, two of Taiwanese ancestry, and one each from Filipino, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian backgrounds. Each must be approved by the Senate.
At Akaka's urging, the Hawai'i congressional delegation, along with delegates Robert Underwood, D-Guam, and Eni Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa, sent a letter to the White House on Aug. 10 requesting an increase in the number of Pacific Islanders on the commission from three to five.
The group thanked Bush for continuing the commission started by executive order in June 1999 but added, "Given the diversity of the Asian-American and Pacific-Islander communities, we believe increasing the number of Pacific Islander commissioners is essential to ensure that the unique issues and concerns of Pacific Islanders are considered."
The panel aims to address the needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through the development, coordination and monitoring of federal programs across a wide array of Cabinet-level agencies. Last year, Clinton appointed Haunani Apoliona, chairwoman of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and a Chamorro and a Samoan among the members.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly called Marumoto the House minority leader.
