Ho`olehua residents upset over advisory Irrigation board’s handling of Bills

“I say this with all due respect; but I request that you, Adolph Helm, step down from the board,” says Ho`olehua farmer Lyn Decoite, “because you are not doing what you are supposed to, and that is representing homesteaders.”

Proceedings at the Molokai Irrigation System (MIS) meeting on April 19 became heated during discussion of Senate Bill 1705. The bill, among other changes, would increase Homesteader representation on the MIS board and amend the board’s purpose from advisory to a governing body.

Helm, who openly supports the plight of fellow homesteaders, agrees with the intention of the bill but believes the proposal should not be supported in its current form because “the bill is vague and needs to be re-written”.

“The water is 2/3 homesteaders, but we haven’t had 2/3 representation” says UH extension agent and water expert Glen Teves as he issued his support of the bill’s overall purpose. Teves pleaded for the board not recommend deferral of the bill again because it may simply be killed. “If the [bill] needs to be gutted, then gut it. But don’t kill it; If we let things [with MIS] stay the way they are, soon it will be too late”.

Homesteader Moke Kim supported the urgency for autonomy displayed by the community, “We have our kuleana, we have our keiki, and who’s raising them? This piece of legislation will give us our parental rights back. No rehabilitation can happen when outside forces dictate your life.”

During his time on the board, Helm has been instrumental in organizing and bringing legitimacy to homesteader representation on the MIS board. He is widely considered the perfect man for the job on the MIS; the Ho`olehua native and a manager for Mycogen, an agricultural company, has an outstanding relationship with most homesteaders, as well as with Molokai’s agricultural businesses.

Helm was firm and passionate about his ability to realize a better law which he says needs to be defined through state governmental processes. He reported that the entire MIS board believes that bill 1705 needs work but shows promise for the following year. Helm also agreed to work with homesteaders regardless of the final decision. “If [the bill] passes this year, that’s fine; we’ll work with it. You guys do what you got to do.”

The next day, the House Representatives did, in fact, pass legislation on the MIS in the form of bill SCR176; both the House agricultural and land management boards recommended the adoption of the bill which would order an audit of the MIS system. Ho`olehua farmers believe this audit will eventually result in MIS generated revenues remaining on-island, allowing much-needed repairs and improvements to Molokai’s neglected irrigation infrastructure.

As for SB1705, essentially quadrupling Homesteader representation and making the MIS a governing body, the bill has been passed by the Senate, and is awaiting a House decision. 1705 could be a big step toward self determination for Ho`olehua farmers, but weather lawmakers agree with its effectiveness remains to be seen.