Gov. Green Pulls Molokai Burial Council Nominees

Photo courtesy of Keomailani Hanapi-Hirata

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

In a surprising move, Gov. Josh Green withdrew two Molokai nominations to the Molokai Island Burial Council in late March. La’akea Poepoe and Keomailani Hanapi-Hirata were awaiting a Senate confirmation hearing when they got the news that their nominations had been withdrawn.

The reason why the two Molokai residents had been withdrawn from consideration was not clear.

“It’s super red flaggy,” said Poepoe in an interview with The Dispatch. “What’s the actual rationale behind the removal of qualified and vetted applicants with no clear disqualifier?”

Both Poepoe and Hanapi-Hirata have served on the Molokai Island Burial Council in the past. However, the council has been without the three necessary board members to have quorum since 2022, rendering the council unable to officially meet or make decisions.

“The focus should be on doing the work,” said Poepoe.

The burial council plays a critical role in the care of iwi kupuna, or ancestral remains. The council works with state and federal departments along with landowners to properly manage the treatment and protection of Native Hawaiian burial sites older than 50 years. Many building projects on Molokai need decisions from the burial council before they can proceed. Without quorum, the council has been unable to make headway into the more than 20 cases which have piled up, according to Hanapi-Hirata.

The burial council’s work is “a sacred kuleana,” explained Hanapi-Hirata.

Hanapi-Hirata was extremely disappointed that politics had played a role in preventing the Molokai Island Burial Council from finally reaching quorum.

“They’re deciding to play politics with the burial council,” Hanapi-Hirata said. She felt strongly that “some type of backdoor deals” soured her and Poepoe’s chances of nomination.

According to statements from the Office of the Governor, Green’s removal of Hanapi-Hirata and Poepoe was due to a prevailing sentiment from the Senate that the nominees would fail the confirmation process. A failure to be confirmed after being nominated prevents the applicant from being eligible for the position in the future, while a withdrawal allows the applicant to potentially re-apply if they wish.

Poepoe is taking the route of re-application. After initially putting in his bid through the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, Poepoe has decided to re-apply via the Office of Hawaiian Affairs – who also have two nomination slots.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ other nomination for Molokai was Kawaipuna Kalipi. Kalipi was not withdrawn by the governor, so she went forward before a public hearing by the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee on April 1.

At the hearing, Kalipi received testimonial support from various individuals and organizations. She, however, asked that her nomination be saved until more Molokai residents were available for the council.

“Given the lack of quorum, I have to, at the very least, reconsider this position,” said Kalipi. “I do not wish to waste a term on the burial council when there is no quorum to do our kuleana effectively.”

Kalipi likewise cautioned the Senate as to the possibility of overzealous withdrawals of nominations.

“This is not just an administrative oversight,” said Kalipi. “This results in a failure to carry out mandated duties.”

While Kalipi was prepared to pull her nomination, Senator Tim Richards, chair of the Hawaiian Affairs Committee, requested that she hold off. Richards deferred the final decision on Kalipi until a hearing on April 10.

At the April 1 Senate hearing, Maui County Councilmember for Molokai, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, took a hardline approach to the withdrawal of Poepoe and Hanapi-Harata.

“It’s appalling that petty politics of personalities has prevented our council from reaching quorum,” said Rawlins-Fernandez. “This is a disservice to our community and is detrimental to our ancestors.”