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A proposed bill triggered this discussion of Hawaiian sovereignty and self-determination. The Native Hawaiian Autonomy Act, drafted by State Representative Ed Case, proposed merging the Office of Hawaiian Affairs with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and settling outstanding land claims in a sweeping measure. Peter Apo, the governor's special assistant for Hawaiian affairs, found merit in the bill's aim of connecting longstanding Hawaiian grievances — broken trust obligations, ceded-land claims, and questions of cultural dignity — but argued that its unilateral drafting, without prior consultation with Hawaiian organisations, made it politically unviable. Peter Adler, executive director of the Hawaii Justice Foundation and an experienced mediator, described ongoing community dialogue efforts on gathering rights and sovereignty. Charlie Rose, by phone as first vice president of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and president of Ha Hawaii, insisted that any sovereignty process must be designed and led by Hawaiians. Ed Case called in and affirmed that non-Hawaiians share responsibility for a century of exclusion and must act to set things right. The standing question is how, and under whose authority, the state and the Hawaiian community can construct a legitimate process for resolving sovereignty claims.
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