When I think about the future of Hawaii, whether it will be a glowing example of growing productive capacity, of its citizens working hard and receiving their just rewards, of good housing, of work of a meritorious nature, a good and decent life; or the reverse of that, a shrinking productive sector, housing that is only affordable to the few elite or the newcomers with big bank accounts and a job market dependent on federal largess and tourist dollars that may or may not come here.
Of course I want the former but that can only happen if we have a healthy economy — one that creates jobs and opportunity.
That is why I have been so concerned with the present pCard controversy. A healthy economy can only occur when government works correctly. The checks and balances of democracy work to limit excess, and demand accountability from our public servants. Without a incorruptible government we can not have a fair and just economy. We will have in that case a economic base that reflects the worse nature of its governance.
I ask you this age old question: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchman?A question Caesar regrets not asking and which if we do not ask, I am afraid we shall regret, too.
Is not the county Board of Ethics the check and balance for our county government? If not, then who will preform this task?
Because the board failed to perform an obligation members swore to perform, they kicked the can down the road. We could ask the individual members of the board to resign and give that function to the state Ethics Commission to handle this matter. But what would the result be for our county in the future? Increased state power over our internal affairs demolishes the sovereignty of the citizens of this county. What happens in the future when we have other ethical issues? Run to the state for yet another round of outside interference because we are afraid to act?
Unfortunately, there are no county laws to deal with members who refuse to follow the laws or do their jobs, just like there are no laws to handle a rogue corporation counsel who won’t counsel or a prosecuting attorney who won’t prosecute. It is the board’s duty to issue a ruling yet they refuse to act. This controversy has been going on six years and they refuse to act.
In the meantime, our county suffers because the very mechanism to check impropriety refuses to protect the democratic process from ethical wrong doing.
This situation is extremely troubling because it encourages the administration to dump transparency, to act without regard to public accountability with the seriousness that our democratic system must have to continue.
Of course, this is not only the problem of our county. This problem is endemic in most of the county and city administrations I have seen. After all county or city administrations across this country all tend toward intolerance to public needs. Democracy is a nuisance to the bosses of the bureaucracy. Bureaucracies are top down fiefdoms. They are not democratic.
That is why they must be controlled by the public. That is why we have checks and balances. Without that protection we shall become a dictator’s paradise and a Hell for the common man.
So I will go out on the limb here and make a prediction: If our democracy can not rebalance itself; if it can not apply its own check and balance systems on this pCard controversy, then the prosperous future of Hawaii will run onto the rocks of instability and corruption. Private investment will not create productive enterprises. Government will become a captive of a small elite who will benefit by squeezing the crumbs from the public, and democracy will lose again.
The Board of Ethics, by refusing to do its job, is now threatening a democratic Hawaii.
It’s that bad.
Who is going to right the wrongs?
Peter Risley is a resident of Kapaau.
Viewpoint articles are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of West Hawaii Today.