Queen's celebration also a day of protest

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Staff Writer

Native Hawaiian cultural, civic and educational groups joined yesterday in celebration and protest.

Brad Cooper, front, Edward Hanohano and the rest of Robert Uluwehi Cazimero's Halau Na Kamalei performed at the celebration of Queen Lili'uokalani's birthday yesterday. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The rally, dubbed "E Lili'u E," began in the morning with a gathering and prayer at the Royal Mausoleum in Nu'uanu. Marchers made their way from Nu'uanu to 'Iolani Palace for a program of hula, mele and speeches. Organizers estimate 2,000 people attended the event.

At issue is City Council Bill 53, which is meant to help lessees of condominium units gain title to the land under their units when the landowner refuses to sell.

The Lili'uokalani Trust owns the land under the Foster Towers condominium in Waikiki, and protesters say this bill would allow a handful of people to force the trust to sell the land.

A recent Supreme Court ruling set that 50 percent of all the condo owners must agree to the fee purchase before the mandatory conversion process can begin. The city measure would change that requirement to 50 percent of owner-occupants. Therefore, in condominiums where most owners rent out their units, only a few owner-occupants who wish to purchase the fee could start the process.

Thomas Kaulukukui, chairman of the board of the Lili'uokalani Trust, said, "We have eight people who want to convert the property from lease to fee while the trust serves 9,000 Hawaiians. I ask you, when you look at serving the public purpose, whose purpose are they serving?"

Kaulukukui warned that the measure would threaten not only ali'i lands set aside in trusts to benefit Native Hawaiians, but also small, private land owners. "These are lands that were not meant to be sold," he said.

Vicky Holt-Takamine, a well-known kumu hula and founder of the Native Hawaiian rights group 'Ilio ula o kalani Coalition, addressed the crowd spread out under the trees around the Coronation Pavilion. "It's not good enough that we all show up here. That's not enough," she said. "We have to write down our testimony and send it to the City Council. We have to be there at the next hearing on September 25th."

Coalition members distributed petitions and manned tables where people could write letters to the City Council.

"We want them to be there for 24 hours while we read our testimony one by one," Holt-Takamine said. "Make them listen to your voice."