Hawaiian, Mainlander trustees should serve

If left up to the masses outside the Circuit Court yesterday, the five Bishop Estate trustee would almost certainly be ousted from their positions.

Yet Kamaki Kanahele, former chief of staff at OHA, said that the nomination of two lawyers as caretakers would be unacceptable.

If their highly qualified pasts as former Securities and Exchange Commission members are any evidence, Harold Williams and Bevis Longstreth would be capable administrators.

As outsiders, they will be better able to discern what sort of involvements are questionable to become involved in.

As Mainlanders, some question whether they should serve in this respect, governing an estate established by a Hawaiian in Hawai`i for the benefit of Hawaiian children.

To those without intimate knowledge of Hawaiian issues or a direct connection to Hawaiian concerns, the importance of the trust may not be fully realized.

To balance the Native Hawaiians' needs and the estate's need for excellent administration, two Native Hawaiian candidates should be selected as well.

With a Hawaiian voice equal to their own, Williams and Longstreth will be more likely to accomplish their purpose.