E-W Center board loses familiar face

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

The reaction to the loss of former Gov. George Ariyoshi from the East-West Center board of governors has been a mixture of a sense of loss tempered by hope from an infusion of new members.

ARIYOSHI

He was eligible for reappointment to another three-year term but was not among the four people named by Gov. Linda Lingle in early April. Restaurateur Eddie Flores, former GOP national committeewoman Miriam Hellreich, businessman Roland Lagareta and businessman Puongpun Sananikone — the four new members — are all political supporters of Lingle.

Ariyoshi was appointed by former Gov. Ben Cayetano, a fellow Democrat.

Center founded in 1960

The East-West Center was founded in 1960 and is a public, nonprofit corporation dedicated to fostering education and research with an emphasis on bringing together Asian, Pacific and western views.

It receives most of its money from the U.S. government. Other money comes from private agencies, individuals, corporations, and Asian and Pacific governments. The board has 18 members, 15 of them voting.

Dan Berman, who heads the alumni organization East-West Center Association, said he and other alumni were stunned to learn Ariyoshi was not reappointed.

"I'm not saying anything about the new board members, I'm just saying they're not Gov. Ariyoshi in the way that has stature and status in the Pacific and Asia," Berman said. "So I think he's going to be missed — or at least it's going to be hard to pick up the slack."

Hopes for reappointment

Ariyoshi worked tirelessly to promote the center both locally and in Asia, where he is widely respected, Berman said. Ariyoshi was the first U.S. governor of Asian-American descent when he served from 1974 to 1986.

New programs championed by Ariyoshi helped double enrollment at the center, Berman said. At the same time, he helped foster relations with the 46,000-member alumni association and pushed to have a nonvoting place on the board for an alumna, Berman said.

He added that there will be two new vacancies on the board next year. "I hope that Gov. Lingle will consider reappointing the governor," he said.

Other stakeholders also lamented Ariyoshi's departure from the board but said they believe that the change will not be profound.

Charles Morrison, the East-West Center president appointed during Ariyoshi's tenure, said the former governor has been "an absolutely wonderful chairman and very dedicated to the East-West Center."

Nonetheless, he said, Ariyoshi had promised that he would continue working on behalf of the center even if he were not appointed. "No matter what, he was going to help and be supportive in whatever means possible so we have not lost our strongest advocate," Morrison said.

New members offer skills

As for the new members, "they bring new blood," Morrison said. "And part of the reason that board members are rotated is for that purpose." He noted that each of them has either ties to the East-West Center ordeep roots with the Asian-Pacific community. "They all bring something very important to the East-West Center," he said.

Hellreich said she acknowledges and applauds Ariyoshi's contributions to the board. "He's very respected," she said.

But she and the other new members have skills to offer to the center, which will continue to grow and be successful, Hellreich said.

Rep. Galen Fox, a one-time research fellow at the center, said Ariyoshi was a big boost to the organization because he has tremendous contacts in Asia and understands the national and international scene.

"He was immensely important, he really helped the East-West Center get back on the right track," Fox said.

Nonetheless, he said, it was Lingle's choice to make changes and "there may have been good reasons to move onto new people."

Ariyoshi, who returned from a trip to Japan yesterday, could not be reached for comment.

Lingle will be on the Mainland through tomorrow.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.