Posted on: Friday, December 26, 2003

EDITORIAL
Annexation monument not OHA kuleana

A Hawaiian sovereignty group, Ke Kia'i, wants to erect a series of memorial walls in honor of those ancestors who opposed the 1898 annexation.

What the group wishes to immortalize is undoubtedly a chicken-skin event in Hawaiian history.

In 1897, 21,269 Hawai'i citizens, most of them Native Hawaiians, signed a petition protesting the proposed U.S. annexation of Hawai'i.

University of Hawai'i assistant professor and historian Noenoe Silva discovered the petition at the National Archives in Washington a century later. The document became a sovereignty rallying point.

But when it comes to financing Ke Kia'i's political statement, we're not convinced the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs should pay $50,000 to underwrite it.

OHA's mission is to work for the betterment of Hawaiians via economics, education, healthcare and culture, among other channels.

Rather than finance the commemoration of a piece of Hawaiian history, we'd rather see the agency devote its resources to practical programs that improve the lot of Hawaiians today.

Good examples of this are OHA's micro-loans to help Hawaiians overcome temporary cash-flow problems and pursue career opportunities, and the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund, aimed at kick-starting new business enterprises.

It's important to observe historic acts of bravery and dissension. But history is history. It's the present and future of Hawaiians that OHA should remain focused on.