Is Hawaii of, by and for only
the wealthy and well-connected?

By James Koshiba
Kanu Hawaii executive director

On Monday, Oct 24, the Honolulu Star Advertiser published a piece by Kanu Hawaii's Executive Director James Koshiba critical of the way special interests shape Hawaii's government and the economy in favor of a few. This is the essence of that letter:

"Occupy" demonstrations around the world voice 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, paid 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.

Democracy promises every citizen equal power to shape how we are governed. But the 1 percent has used lobbying, political contributions and donated campaign labor to make government responsive to a few, muffling the voice of the many. Some politicians have encouraged this, preferring to deal with organized, moneyed interests rather than the more difficult task of 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.

Many suffer in this system. Those who cannot afford to lobby for government contracts or protect their benefits struggle harder in tough times. Young people without connections scramble to find jobs or advance in organizations that reward seniority or corporate rank more than performance.

I was reminded of this recently when the Abercrombie administration replaced several younger leaders [Chief of Staff Amy Asselbaye, 40; Deputy Chief of Staff Andrew Aoki , 41; Communications Director Josh Levinson, 34; and Director of Human Resources Sunshine Topping, 40] 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 also noted that the replacements fall in-line with senior "Kitchen Cabinet" advisors who are longtime advocates for the gambling industry in Hawaii.

The response by politicians and pundits was mostly, “We told you so.”  Even members of the media seemed to conclude that it takes a “lifetime of relationships,” the “right connections,” and being from “inside state government” to be an effective public servant.

Richard Borrecca of the Star-Advertiser said the young leaders had to go because "they were from outside of state government and had never developed the reflexes, network or lifelong relationships needed to deal with the Legislature or problems in the community."

All this makes it feel like a low point for democracy. Yet, we've never been better equipped to exercise our power. We can group-write an encyclopedia, organize mobs in a flash or become citizen journalists and viral broadcasters.

The tools are there to retake democracy, but we'll need to redefine our kuleana as citizens to do it. The new citizen must go beyond voting and testifying, to become:

• Watchdogs. Follow key decisions, expose examples of insider influence, broadcast what we learn to build awareness.
• Spokespersons. Use technology to poll our own networks, deliver group feedback, and enable group conversation with representatives.
• Educators. Work with others to "crowdsource" reliable information on issues and candidates for office.
• Organizers. Use social media to recruit and turn out voters, focusing on candidates who support laws to get money out of politics, and expand the ways for people to participate.
• Candidates. Those who are frustrated should consider running for office, under a pledge to take no special-interest money and voluntarily limit their time in office to ensure we don't become what we hope to change.

The tools are there. The need is clear. If we start organizing a concerted effort today and set our sights on the next election, we might yet reclaim democracy from a powerful 1 percent and return government of, by and for the people to its rightful owners.