Transition is in the air.
Venerable Sen. Dan Inouye has been replaced by former Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz. Closer to home, the state Senate has been reconfigured, and the state House could also be under new management.
Transition is not change.
Change, the condition that defines nature, can be difficult to achieve in the mental environment of Hawaii. Our island state, now 53 years old, has acquired bad habits that benefit a few at the expense of everyone else. Making Hawaii a better place requires enormous effort because:
» From an early age, we’re told not to make waves.
» We heed the Japanese saying, "we don’t want to get pounded down like the nail that sticks up."
» As islanders, we learn that we must go along to get along.
» We all want to be good guys, too.
One more thing. Those who benefit from ethical lapses, rent-seeking and corruption know they have a good thing going here and don’t want to give it up.
Rent-seeking is the practice of manipulating the political system to increase one’s share of existing wealth, instead of creating new wealth that might benefit more people.
We need change, not transition. Change that precedes the opening of minds, the acceptance of new faces and ideas. Change that welcomes innovation and is the precursor of new wealth.
The status quo benefits from business-as-usual. In government, business-as-usual has not been open, transparent, accessible and accountable.
Signs of government failure and dysfunction are everywhere apparent. The Public Land Development Corp. is an abomination. The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation — overseeing rail, the state’s largest public-works project — is a painful reminder of business-as-usual. The Office of Information Practices’ complicated processes create needless delay and cynicism. The "Wonder Blunder" crisis has exposed the University of Hawaii Board of Regents and administration as maladroit, embarrassing and wasteful.
Perhaps it’s time for good government to be written into the state Constitution. Good government may need to be protected as a public trust, the way the natural resources of the state are protected for the benefit of all.
Enabling legislation could turn the assortment of good-government agencies — Ethics Commission, Office of Information Practices, Auditor’s Office and Campaign Spending Commission — into a single state department, with enforcement powers, headed by a single accountable director, appointed by the governor, who ultimately should be accountable.
Transition will not bring about change unless it is accompanied by better behavior. Government in Hawaii should serve the people, not just a select, clued-in, well-connected and rent-seeking few.
