The Hawaii Resolution

At Issue: The Hawaii State Legislature’s resolution supporting federalization of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Our View: It’s uncalled for though we have a suspicion who’s the architect behind such measure.

It’s comically interesting how the Hawaii State Legislature worked up the courage to support federalization of the NMI. Was the adoption of the measure premised on factual information or half-facts? And isn’t this measure a meddlesome sentiment that runs against the grain of the sentiment of the indigenous people here?

It should dawn on sponsors of the resolution that like Hawaii, the NMI has its rights to self-government, including its economic freedom. The issue of a federal takeover is far from all the misinformation hurled against the NMI since 1993. It bogs down to special interest (textile labor unions in California and elsewhere) versus the economic livelihood of the people of these islands.

It boggles the mind too that the measure apparently leaves the impression that the Hawaii State Legislature subscribes to the Glass House Syndrome when its own history is riddled with indentured slaves in its sugar cane plantation. It would seem appropriate that rather than approving a resolution supporting economic annihilation of the NMI, it should first clear its own record by restoring the dignity of Chinese, Japanese and Filipinos sugar companies employed in its sugar industry.

Hawaii is the most highly unionized and regulated state in the country. This is a major setback that needs to be addressed and resolved. In other words, this should be the focus of the Hawaii State Legislature rather than falling prey to a meddlesome resolution that meets the needs of textile labor unions in California. What about the livelihood of simple islanders in the NMI?

Speaker Benigno R. Fitial has fired off a letter to the Aloha State Legislature to come out and see for themselves if in fact slavery is a daily reality in the NMI. Perhaps taking a tour of the apparel industry here would forever silence critics especially those who treat distorted media reports that have conveniently presented half-facts when linked to the popular and often misconstrued issue on human rights.

In your conscience, is it Hawaiian Value to kill Jose so George can live? Isn’t value supposed to enhance and enrich the livelihood of mankind? Nothing can be further from the truth!