"Occupy" demonstrations worldwide are voicing frustration with economic and government systems that serve a 1 percent elite, but seem out of touch with the rest of us.

In Hawaii, our 1 percent isn’t just big companies or rich people. It’s a small circle of business and labor leaders, lobbyists and insiders using wealth and relationships to exert heavy influence on state and local government.

I have no problem with businesses making a profit. And I applaud unions fighting for decent wages and working conditions. But neither should be allowed to use money and connections to shape public policy in ways that serve their private interest. And, in times like these, they should not be able to use their special influence to exempt themselves from the shared sacrifice required of us all.

This 1 percent has made skillful use of lobbyists, political contributions and donated campaign labor to make Hawaii’s government responsive to a few, while muffling the voice of the many. Some "old boy" politicians have encouraged it, preferring to deal with organized, moneyed interest groups rather than engaging constituents directly.

Critical decisions affecting all of us — rail, gambling, taxes, land use and more — are shaped by a circle of insiders, rather than citizen voices in conversation with our leaders. Mountains of public testimony fail to sway lawmakers. Decisions are made behind closed doors, before hearings begin.

I was reminded of this recently when the Abercrombie administration replaced some of its more independent-minded leaders with individuals described by the Star-Advertiser as "bedrocks of the status quo, with deep ties to the powerful business, labor and political interests that are used to the state government working for them."

Reporters pointed to the gambling industry as a beneficiary, since replacements fell in-line with "kitchen Cabinet" members who are longtime advocates for casinos in Hawaii.

All this makes it feel like a low point for democracy. Ironically, we’ve never been better equipped to exercise our power. Technology enables us to organize mobs in a flash, group-write encyclopedias, or become citizen journalists and viral broadcasters.

The tools are there to revamp democracy, but we’ll need to redefine our kuleana as citizens to do it. The new citizenship must go beyond voting and testifying, to more active and creative roles:

» Watchdogs. Follow key decisions, expose examples of insider influence, broadcast what we learn.

» Spokespersons. Use technology to poll our own networks, deliver group feedback, and enable group conversation with representatives.

» Educators. Work with others to "crowd source" reliable information on issues and candidates for office.

» Organizers. Use social media, text, email, etc., to recruit and turn out voters, focusing on candidates who commit to policies that get money out of politics, and expanding ways for people to weigh in.

» Candidates. Those who are frustrated should consider running for office, under a pledge to take no special-interest campaign donations, and a voluntary term limit to ensure we don’t become what we hope to change.

The tools are there to reshape democracy, but there is a deep river of cynicism standing between us and people power.

If a few of us start the crossing today, paving the way for others, we might yet reclaim democracy from a powerful 1 percent, and return government of, by and for the people to its rightful owners.

James Koshiba is executive director of Kanu Hawaii, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group working to build grassroots movement for a better Hawaii. Visit www.kanuhawaii.org.