Congressional leaders have agreed to give the so-called Akaka bill a little momentum by bringing it to a vote this week on the floor of the U.S. House, where it has faced less opposition than in the Senate.
That is fortunate, but it appears that the perennial push for Native Hawaiian federal recognition will need more than a little momentum. Yesterday, the Office of Management and Budget within the White House issued a statement of the Bush administration's opposition to H.R. 505, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act.
If the bill does come to the House floor tomorrow, as scheduled, Hawai'i delegates need to make the case for the bill as forcefully as possible. The object will be to secure bipartisan support for the measure, in part to counter the White House statement.
That statement contains its share of mischaracterizations of the bill, along with a recommendation that the president veto any such measure that would come to him. For example, it quotes a federal court opinion that Hawaiian history is "fundamentally different" from that of indigenous groups and federally recognized Indian tribes.
Of course, it's a different history. But the difference doesn't negate essential characteristics that all indigenous groups share: They occupied sovereign territory before being displaced by the U.S. government, and held a political status apart from mere racial differences.
More than ever, the bill needs supporters from both sides of the aisle, those who believe recognition of native peoples need not become a partisan battleground. If the bill does emerge intact from the Senate, where it faces far longer odds, it's essential that the president sees it has broad support in both houses; he may then be less likely to bother with a veto, which would be tough to override.
The bill, named for Hawai'i Sen. Daniel Akaka, is a reasonable means for reconciliation of past divisions, not the specter of the White House description. It will take leadership to help ensure that cooler heads prevail.
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