EDITORIAL
Public officials must heed disengagement

Key themes in the successful gubernatorial campaign of Republican Linda Lingle included the idea that government had become corrupt, out of touch and indifferent to the needs of anyone but "insiders" and powerbrokers.

It turns out that the Lingle campaign was pushing a hot button, if a groundbreaking public opinion survey by the Hawai'i Justice Foundation is any indication.

The foundation commissioned a survey of Hawai'i residents to sort out the key "justice" issues in the Islands today. The basic purpose of the survey is to inform about the work of the nonprofit Justice Foundation.

But the poll also offers a compelling look into the minds of Hawai'i citizens as they ponder what is fair, what is unfair, what works and what doesn't.

Three basic themes emerged:

• People think there is a power imbalance between ordinary citizens and "insiders."
• The average person feels disengaged and disconnected from government and from major institutions in general. A look at the low voter turnout is all one needs to confirm this finding.
• Communities — particularly low-income communities such as Waimanalo, Wai'anae and Kalihi — feel they are getting shortchanged on the distribution of public resources.

These three findings are hardly separate and distinct. If you feel government doesn't care about you or is devoted to the interests of insiders, then naturally you'll feel disengaged.

The survey probed respondents in two ways: First it asked about key justice issues as identified by a group of community leaders. It also asked an open-ended "top of mind" question in which corruption among government leaders came out first.

The survey was conducted in May, when news about convictions of City Council members and campaign spending investigations made headlines. So it isn't surprising corruption came to mind.

Fundamentally, the survey suggests a disturbing disconnect between ordinary citizens and government and political leaders. Some of these concerns are real; others are more a matter of perception than reality.

Still, from a political and public policy standpoint, it hardly matters. The lesson for policy-makers at both the state and county levels is clear: There is a serious rift between themselves and the constituents they are supposed to serve.

The Lingle administration came into office promising to restore "trust" in government. That's a worthy — and apparently quite necessary — goal. It is one that everyone in elected office should pursue.