A defiant state Rep. Faye Hanohano insists her behavior has been mischaracterized and she has been unfairly "thrown under the bus" by the House leaders who reprimanded her.
In a 45-minute interview with the Big Island Chronicle over the weekend, Hanohano said she has only tried to educate people about Hawaiian history and culture and that her critics either misunderstood the Hawaiian language or are too shallow to get her message.
Hanohano (D, Hawaiian Acres-Pahoa-Kalapana) suggested that House leaders retaliated against her for not being a "team player" on a bill that would have banned smoking on public beaches. The bill had passed the House Water and Land Committee in late January, but Hanohano’s House Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs Committee would not sign off and the bill was ultimately deferred.
Hanohano defended her behavior toward a Hawaii Pacific University student who complained in February he was treated rudely by her when he testified in favor of a bill that would have protected sharks and rays. She said the student was unprepared and would not listen as she sought to educate him about the importance of sharks in Hawaiian culture.
She brushed off a February letter from William Aila Jr., director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, that claimed she was abusive in authority, racially discriminatory and inappropriate to department staff at committee hearings. She said it is unfortunate that a lot of staff are not born and raised in Hawaii and come with "Western perspectives."
Hanohano blamed House leaders and the House communications office for leaking the Aila letter to the news media.
Hanohano also said the incident last year where she was accused of making ethnic and racial remarks in front of exhibit staff installing art in her office was mischaracterized. She said her concern was the lack of Native Hawaiian artists in the "Art in Public Places" program.
Yet Hanohano did not specifically deny making any of the remarks that landed her in trouble and led to her apology last year.
"It was so funny because even if I used the word ‘Jap,’ you know, which is prevalent in my, you know, local community, everybody understands but they don’t get offended," she said. "And, you know, just for clarity, I am Japanese, so, I mean … and then even the word ‘haole,’ I am Caucasian. So how can I be a racist against myself?
"So, ‘racist’ is only a word that people use when they want to mask their real self of being a racist. So they use the word. Because racist doesn’t even exist in my vocabulary, I’m sorry."
Hanohano directed her resentment at House leadership.
"All I’m trying to do is educate people so I do not be misunderstood," she said. "And yet I followed all the protocol of our House leadership with Speaker (Joseph) Souki, Rep. (Scott) Saiki of apologizing and all of that, and yet I still get thrown under the bus."
House leaders said through a spokeswoman Monday that they did not retaliate against Hanohano over the bill to ban smoking on public beaches, which was not a leadership priority this session. Otherwise, House leaders declined to comment.
Hanohano was particularly disappointed with the news media. The representative has declined interview requests from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser but has done brief interviews with KITV and KHON, where she has defended her behavior.
The interview with the Big Island Chronicle was conducted by Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a former reporter with West Hawaii Today and aide to former Hawaii County Councilwoman Emily Naeole. The questions were largely sympathetic, and Hanohano referred to Hunt — who publishes a blog and a newspaper — as a friend and constituent.
Hanohano said she thinks other reporters are rude.
"They’re only here to get a story, nothing more," she said. "They don’t care about your integrity. They don’t care about your dignity. If they can strip you, they would rape you right in front of the cameras. So, right now I have no trust in these people."
Hanohano said she has no plans to change her behavior. She said she believes voters in other districts wished they had a representative who is not afraid to speak their mind.
"I’m not going to change for nobody, because I am an elected official and I’m here for the people and to do the work of the people and in their best interests of everything that I have done for the people," she said. "So I have no regrets of what (has) happened."
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