WAILUKU, Hawaii \u2013 In her second letter to University of Hawaii President David Lassner, Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin has reiterated her concern over what appears to be the invalidity of General Lease S-4191, originally granted to University of Hawaii by the Board of Land and Natural Resources in 1968 and now subleased to TMT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Lassner assured Paltin in his July 18th response to her July 12th letter that \u201cthe project has all approvals required by law.\u201d However, his brief correspondence did not address the concerns for native tenant rights and the war crime of destruction of property presented in Paltin\u2019s original letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Councilmember Paltin reminded President Lassner that the general public\u2019s understanding of Hawaii\u2019s legal and political history has evolved significantly since the lease was originally granted to the University of Hawaii. In her latest letter, Paltin has suggested that the information that has come to light since 1968, including that found in the Apology Resolution of 1993, sets the general lease in a new context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referencing this new understanding of Hawaii\u2019s legal history, Paltin wrote, \u201cThe United States Congress, in its Apology Resolution in 1993 (107 Stat. 1512), admitted\u2026the so-called transfer of Hawaiian government and crown lands, which included the ahupua\u2018a of Ka\u2018ohe, to the United States in 1898, was done \u2018without the consent of or compensation to the Native Hawaiian people of Hawai\u2018i or their sovereign [Hawaiian Kingdom] government.\u2019\u201d Therefore, because the transfer of property occurred without consent, Paltin continued, the sublease to TMT is invalid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Councilmember Paltin once again requested that President Lassner have the University\u2019s legal counsel review the assessment of the situation presented in her original letter and defend the validity of the general and sublease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A full copy of Councilmember Tamara Paltin\u2019s 07\/26\/19 letter to UH President Lassner can be located at mauicounty.us\/paltin\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WAILUKU, Hawaii \u2013 In her second letter to University of Hawaii President David Lassner, Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin has reiterated her concern over what appears to be the invalidity of General Lease S-4191, originally granted to University of Hawaii … Continue reading