Opinion: Native Hawaiian entity ripe for corruption

Thursday, June 7, 2007  

"Proponents claim the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2007 (Akaka Bill, S 310) will protect Hawaiian entitlements and assets. But the strong connections between the Broken Trust scandal of the late 1990s and the 2000 introduction of the “Akaka Bill” should raise questions about the wisdom of creating what will amount to a Hawaiian Indian reservation.

If the Akaka Bill passes the U.S. Senate and U.S. House and is approved by the President, corrupt politicians and their cronies, (both Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian), could find their activities shielded from federal and state law enforcement by ‘tribal’ law.

Rather than being protected, Native Hawaiians organized into an Indian tribe may find themselves unable to halt activities that could endanger the entire Hawaiian patrimony.

According to the text of the Akaka Bill, “The purpose of this Act is to provide a process for the reorganization of the single Native Hawaiian governing entity and the reaffirmation of the special political and legal relationship between the United States and that Native Hawaiian governing entity for purposes of continuing a government-to-government relationship.”

Use of the term, “government to government relationship” clearly directs the process towards establishing a Hawaiian Indian reservation and away from the model of the Alaskan Native Corporations, which are corporate entities, not government entities."

Get the Story:
Andrew Walden: Akaka Bill: Creating a Haven for Corruption? (The Hawaii Reporter 6/6)

Recognition Bill:
Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act (S.310)

Relevant Links:
Office of Hawaiian Affairs - http://www.oha.org

Related Stories:
Native Hawaiian school settles admission lawsuit (05/15)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee approves four bills (05/11)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee meeting (05/10)
Bush administration opposes Native Hawaiian bill (05/04)
Senate hearing on Native Hawaiian recognition (5/3)
Democrats pass Native Hawaiian bill on second try (03/29)
House committee to take up Native Hawaiian bill (03/05)
Opinion: The misrecognition of 'Native' Hawaiians (2/28)
Opinion: Attack on Hawaiians directed at tribes (2/16)
Opinion: Native Hawaiian a quirk in federal law? (2/14)
9th Circuit rejects Native Hawaiian funding case (2/12)
Divided court upholds Native school admissions policy (12/06)
Editorial: Another shot for Native Hawaiians (11/14)
Column: Native Hawaiian advocates weigh Plan B (07/11)
9th Circuit to hear Native Hawaiian school case (06/20)
Opinion: Native Hawaiian debate far from over (6/16)
Republicans traded votes for Native Hawaiian bill (6/14)
Some hope for Native Hawaiians in court case (6/13)
John Fund: Defeat for Sen. Akaka on Hawaiians (6/12)
Native Hawaiian debate ends in Senate (6/8)
Opinion: Native Hawaiian recognition 'racist' (6/7)
Opinion: Native Hawaiians have it better than Indians (6/6)
Commentary: GOP death wish on Native Hawaiians (6/6)
Bob Novak: GOPs lobby for Hawaiian Indians (6/5)
John Fund: A Native race-based government (6/5)
WSJ: Native Hawaiian recognition an ugly act (6/2)
Editorial: Unconstitutional Native Hawaiian bill (6/1)
Opinion: GOP traitors on Hawaiian recognition (5/31)
Sen. McCain voted against Hawaiian apology (5/29)
Editorial: Oppose Native Hawaiian recognition (5/24)
Hawaii governor lobbies for Native recognition (5/18)
Native Hawaiian recognition bill heads for debate (5/17)
Appeals court to rehear Native Hawaiian school case (02/23)
Miers cited Native Hawaiian work before withdrawing (10/28)
Bush questions legality of Native Hawaiian bill (09/28)
Opinion: 'Racist' Hawaiian recognition bill (9/22)
Roberts mentions Indian law work on final day (9/19)
Hawaii governor lobbies Senate on Hawaiian recognition (9/8)
Native Hawaiian work an issue for Roberts (9/7)
Linda Chavez: GOP panders on Native Hawaiian bill (9/1)
Native Hawaiian bill set for debate in Senate (8/29)
Opinion: GOP policy rejects Native Hawaiians (08/26)
Amendments in the works for Native Hawaiian bill (8/25)
Slade Gorton: Don't recognize Native Hawaiians (08/19)
Letter: Native Hawaiians are indigenous too (08/08)
Editorial: Native Hawaiians never had a government (8/4)
Appeals court blocks Native Hawaiian school policy (08/03)
Editorial: Native Hawaiian bill is un-American (07/21)
Debate on Native Hawaiian bill delayed in Senate (7/20)
Bush names John G. Roberts to U.S. Supreme Court (07/20)
House, Senate hearings on housing, land dispute (7/18)
Native Hawaiian bill set for vote on Senate floor (7/18)
Opinion: Native Hawaiian bill sets bad precedent (7/18)
Commentary: Bill creates 'race-based' government (07/07)
Novak: Native Hawaiian bill creates new 'Indians' (7/5)
Column: Bill creates 'tribe' of Native Hawaiians (6/23)
High court won't take on Native Hawaiian recognition (06/14)
Panel approves Native Hawaiian, NAGPRA changes (03/10)
Native Hawaiian recognition bill gets another shot (02/22)
Native Hawaiian recognition bill introduced again (01/27)
McCain won't block Hawaiian recognition bill (01/14)
McCain opposes Native Hawaiian recognition bill (1/6)
Appeals court leaves Hawaiian recognition to Congress (11/02)
Bush investigating Native Hawaiian scholarships (03/17)
Hawaii senators consider deal on recognition bill (2/25)
Norton continues to question Native Hawaiian bill (2/23)
Native Hawaiian programs survive big court test (01/16)
Norton worried about 'pitfalls' for Native Hawaiians (01/13)
Alaska-Hawaii ties stir controversy among Natives (12/01)
Judge strikes down one Native Hawaiian lawsuit (11/21)
Lawsuits challenging Native Hawaiians benefits resume (11/12)
Legal threats galvanize Native Hawaiian community (09/15)
Native Hawaiians in limbo as courts open up programs (09/04)
Native Hawaiian recognition stalled in Congress (09/01)
Judge to rule in Native Hawaiian school case (08/20)
Native Hawaiians fight for federal recognition (07/21)
Student denied entry into Hawaiian school sues (06/30)
DOJ objected to Native Hawaiian legislation (06/06)
Native Hawaiians denied party status in suit (04/01)
Native Hawaiian office established in D.C. (02/27)
Opinion: Oppose Native Hawaiian bill (2/21)
Court affirms Native Hawaiian ruling (01/06)
Native Hawaiians press sovereignty (10/14)
U.S. dismissed from Native Hawaiian case (09/04)
Inouye: Native Hawaiian bill won't pass (8/8)
Native Hawaiian bill supported (7/16)
Native Hawaiians intervene in lawsuit (7/12)
Judge won't halt Hawaiian funding (3/14)
Native Hawaiian trust challenged (3/6)
Native Hawaiian bill on Senate agenda (7/20)
Federal judge blocks Army training (7/19)
Native Hawaiian lawsuit dismissed (7/13)
Shift in Senate means changes for Indian Country (5/25)
Senate confirms Olson as Solicitor General (5/25)
Native Hawaiian lands threatened (5/24)
A first for Native Hawaiians (4/5)
Indian Law and the Supreme Court (12/11)
OHA survives elections (11/14)
Final Hawaiian report released (10/24)
Native Hawaiian bill passes House (9/27)
Hawaiian affairs still controversial (9/13)
US recommends Hawaiian sovereignty (8/24)
Non-Natives win battle in suit (8/17)
Where are the Dems on tribes? (8/16)
March raises sovereignty awareness (8/14)
The GOP 2000 Platform on Native Americans (8/1)
Group challenges Hawaii (7/7)
Hawaiians march for sovereignty (7/5)