KITV News: OHA CEO Explains Disagreements with Trustees

KITV News reported “OHA CEO explains disagreements with trustees: Crabbe stands behind letter to Kerry seeking legal opinion

KITV photo

HONOLULU —The chief executive of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs explained to the media on Monday a disagreement with the organization’s trustees over seeking clarification on the legal status of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

CEO Kamana’opono Crabbe told reporters Monday he stands behind a letter he sent to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last week, seeking a legal opinion on whether the kingdom continues to exist under international law.

After revealing the letter, all nine trustees signed a different note to Kerry saying Crabbe’s letter doesn’t reflect their position or the agency’s.

“The Hawaiian community needed to know that I was inquiring about the very matters they sought to bring forward,” said Crabbe.  ‘And this is the reason I felt it was imperative not only that I ask the questions but that the community be aware of the inquiry.”

Crabbe says he thought he had the blessing of the board’s chairwoman before sharing the letter publicly.  He says he believes answers to the questions in the letter are crucial for moving forward with pursuing a Native Hawaiian governing entity.

“Despite disagreements that will need to be worked out between myself and OHA’s trustees, I am certain that the Board and I stand firmly together in our commitment to do all that we appropriately can to reestablish a Hawaiian nation,” said Crabbe.

10 thoughts on “KITV News: OHA CEO Explains Disagreements with Trustees

  1. Mahalo!!!

    It’s ALL that the community wants the answers to and justifications for!!! We can all be empowered to act as the free and sovereigns that we know that we are, as Waihee put it, but that brings us no closer to the occupier dealing with us as they should; an independent nation and NOT just a nation within a nation.

    Mahalo NUI!!

    • There is no such thing as nation within a nation in the strictest international sense or by definition. It’s an illusion to deceive and be fraudulent. I wish people would eliminate that nonsensical phrase from their vocabulary. It confuses the ignorant of the true definition. Lets not be a US enabler to confuse and deceive.

      • You are totally correct based on the “international definition.” However, the “u.s. definition” allows such an oxymoron – because it doesn’t specifically qualify that it is the dominant and superior “second” (in sequence) nation – and that all others (including the “American Indian nations” and possibly a dependent “Hawaiian nation”) are of the “first” type. So – Why should the Hawaiians of the Hawaiian nation (that still exists by international law and is equal to that of the u.s.) want to give up its superior status – to become an “inferior” nation, with its citizens becoming wards of the Congress and u.s. government, of the u.s.? Only fools who do not know their history (and the elements of international law)!

        • Well the term “local” is a term that is often an illusion, used to deceive and be fraudulent….but if anything, I hear scholars attempting to include it into their works. Maybe you guys could debate that one too?

  2. OHA’s disclaimer is natural because it jeopardizes the “alleged” State of Hawaii’s mandate, status, jurisdiction, and lawful existence. Around 1982, that same USSC Office of Legal Opinion issued a statement referencing a similar question regarding the Hawaiian Kingdom which was printed in one of Honolulu’s major newspaper. It was not front-page news; but obscured on one of its back pages and understandably didn’t create much of a stir.

    The only logical consequence is de-occupation of a total independent nation-state. The USA is cognizant that it continuously violates the laws of occupation and the Hawaiian Kingdom’s neutrality status. We, Hawaiian Kingdom subjects have never lost our citizenship and were never USA citizens which is a fraud created by the USA, who is accountable and liable for the mess it knowingly produced.

    USA/US citizens in Hawaii are ” hostile occupiers” under the law of occupation and hence, considered illegal aliens. OHA, US agency of the “State of Hawaii”, should know this but must follow the dictates of the “State of Hawaii” (its governor) and the US agenda.

  3. How can we as Kanaka, as well as non Kanaka citizens of the Hawaiian Kingdom call on each and every OHA board member to publicly state their position on the continuity of the Hawaiian Kingdom? Shouldn’t we, the Kanaka, whom the trustees are supposed to be representing, know what each trustees position is if they are said to be our voice. That being said, from a legal standpoint, any time you can get the perpetrator of a crime to discuss the crime, or better yet, admit to the crime, it can be of significant benefit to the prosecution of that crime. Although we as a people have known for over 116 years that the US broke it’s own constitutional laws, as well as international law when it overthrew our Queen at gunpoint, we must recognize the international importance of having the US State Dept. or US Attorney General’s office discuss or give a legal opinion regarding the crime. Since we already know that there is no possible way the US can show cause that the overthrow, annexation, or state of Hawaii was or is legal, they would be left with two options. They could admit that their actions, or the actions of their representatives where illegal and thus the Hawaiian Kingdom remains, or they could simply remain silent and refuse to answer ( which would actually speak volumes as well ) and again the Kingdom remains. Although we know the truth, we need the rest of the world to know the truth. The US can not call themselves a member of the ” family of nations ” and openly break international laws and treaties, especially as the US is at the front of the world stage pointing to the illegality of the Russia, Ukraine and Crimean conflict. Now is the time for our freedom from US occupation and indoctrination. Now is the time for our people, our Kingdom, our future. I call on each and child of Akua to stand for what is Pono. Spread the word or share this blog or do whatever you can do spread the word. NOW IS THE TIME. Ku mau Hawaii Imua.

    • With voting for some OHA trustees coming up (later this year) – it may be imperative that these questions be asked of every candidate – and the responses circulated among “educated and apprised” voters.

  4. I am at a loss as to why OHA or any other organization cannot see beyond the opala that blinds them. Dr. Sai has done everything necessary for our recognition as an occupied Hawaiian Kingdom. Isn’t this what we are all saying we want? Are there others saying something different, meaning they are afraid of giving up what was given to them through lies. I have wondered over the years why friends say “join this or sign up for that,” When will we recognize the truth of what CEO Dr. Crabbe and Dr. Sai are saying? It doesn’t take a phd to understand the truth. We are a occupied nation! No one owns us. Wake up and stop trying to save your yourself and make us look like idiots.

    • It is apparent that OHA (even though they said Independence would be one of the offered subjects) has no plan to “back” for independence as an offer for the Hawaiian People! They would not be able to steal any more of the money’s that they have control over. They want either to keep things the way they are, or their so-called “nation within a nation”

      Not only has Dr. Sai and others found and have implemented the information alot of you speak of, but, have any of you read about or know the decisions made at the International Criminal Court, the UN, or any other of the other International level Org’s? Everybody wants Sovereignty – would it surprise you that Hawaii never lost her’s? If you think that you are going to get monies for becoming a “so-called” Nation within a Nation, you are wrong! Alot of you think that it is “bull-kio” about all the talk about war crimes, you better educate yourselves on the matters at hand, because, it is coming!

      I for one, will love seeing all these “cockroaches” getting what they deserve!

  5. Some have the erroneous notion that OHA represents us. They don’t! They receive 20% of the revenues from the so-called “ceded lands” to be spent for the SOLE BENEFIT of (ethnic) native Hawaiians as prescribed in their Statehood Act. They failed miserably for it’s 5 purposes till they tried to resolve it with the 1978 con-con and created OHA similar to the BIA in Washington, D.C.

    Due to its purpose, they felt ethnic Hawaiians would be best “in touch” with native Hawaiians and their needs; probably to condition them to be receptive to a similar relationship to the US as it is with the native American Indian tribes under their doctrines of Manifest Destiny. Hence, later the Akaka Bill was introduced to the, hopefully conditioned, native Hawaiians to accept; but it was ill-received and overwhelmingly rejected.

    Plan A and B failed. The wrong questions were asked to hide the facts and truth; thus, Rice vs Cayetano decision resulted, disempowering Hawaiians to elect trustees to protect their benefits which now became a political ballgame, whereby certain trustees became subject to the political machine with benefits to shepherd Hawaiians into domestic integration as US indigenous Native American status; despite the fact that many Hawaiians were cognizant of and preferred de-occupation and total independence. It is totally unacceptable by the USA; it’s loss would be too costly on different levels.

    So, does this US-State agency represent us and our interests? You answer that question; as for me, “Not a cold day in hell!”

Leave a Reply