During the recent Senate confirmation hearing for the head of Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL), an important question was asked: Should the head of DHHL focus on the trust or the beneficiaries?

The line should be clear to lawmakers. The state Constitution lays out, in Article XII, Section 1, that the Legislature shall make sufficient sums available to administer the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act in full faith and in the spirit with which the act was written.

The fiduciary responsibility lays with the Legislature, not the administration or the department. State Sen. Les Ihara spoke at length on how he wants a candidate for DHHL who is focused on the trust. When will Ihara focus on the trust? When will he push the Legislature to fulfill its constitutional obligations to the trust and fund it fully every year until the waitlist is exhausted?

Kathryn Mackenzie

Kapahulu

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