Editorials
Friday, January 9, 1998THE veto by Jeremy Harris of a rezoning measure for the Waiawa by Gentry development above Pearl City raised questions about the project and City Council procedures that deserve closer examination. Some members of the Council share the mayor's concerns. Waiawa development needs a closer look
As a result of the way the Waiawa project was handled, a resolution has been introduced requiring that all attachments to legislation be made public six days before a hearing. Council members Rene Mansho and Jon Yoshimura said they didn't like receiving the final draft of an agreement negotiated by Council Zoning Committee Chairwoman Donna Kim and Waiawa Ridge developer Gentry Development Co. just before December's 8-1 vote approving the project. As a result, Mansho and Yoshimura proposed the six-day requirement.
The project, which includes up to 3,000 homes and 90 acres of commercial development, was vetoed by Harris, who charged that a critical part of the agreement, which involved the Bishop Estate leasing a golf course to the city and additional commercial space, was omitted until the final draft. Harris accused Kim of hiding the estate's involvement and said the additions made the whole project unacceptable.
Kim said she made no deals and there was nothing improper about her actions. She said the administration had time to object to the changes in her committee but raised no objections until the veto. She claims Harris is retaliating for her opposition to other administration plans.
It isn't clear why the administration didn't object sooner to the plan, but it's possible the changes were not brought to Harris' attention. That doesn't invalidate Harris' objections, which also include a conflict between this plan and the policy of steering development to Kapolei.
These considerations indicate that the Council should think hard before voting to override the mayor's veto.
IRAN'S President Mohammad Khatami has made a friendly overture to the United States, despised as "the great Satan" for decades by Iranians, and it should not be entirely brushed aside. Over time, the terroristic nation may moderate its behavior and permit a normalization of relations.
Exchange with Iran
In a 45-minute interview with the Cable News Network, Khatami made no suggestion that U.S. economic sanctions be lifted - although that clearly is desired - but recommended an exchange of "professors, scholars, authors, journalists and tourists."
At this point, the proposal is rendered absurd by Iran's refusal to rescind the decree issued by the late Ayatollah Khomeini that British novelist Salman Rushdie be put to death because he insulted the prophet Mohammed in one of his novels.
Khatami has shown himself to be a moderate since his election in May, but he lacks authority to lead his country in the direction he may wish. Iran's elected leader is inferior in power to its spiritual leader, a position that has been held by conservative militant Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since Khomeini's death in 1989. Repression has continued, including executions and a campaign last year against intellectuals and dissident journals.
Meanwhile, the U.S. embargo is essentially unilateral. Most Arab countries have trade links with Iran, and American sanctions have been ignored by Japan, Russia, China, Canada and others. Although the sanctions have caused inconvenience and higher prices, Khatami's move for a cultural exchange is not a desperate move to free Iran from economic isolation.
If there is to be "a crack in the wall of mistrust" between the two countries, as Khatami suggested, it should be a narrow one. A welcome sign would be the withdrawal of the bounty for Rushdie's murder. More important would be an end to Iran's sponsorship of terrorism, its development of weapons of mass destruction, and its support of violent opposition to the Middle East peace process.
Easing sanctions, ineffective as they might be, should not be considered anytime soon. But Khatami's overtures should be studied carefully.
NEWSPAPER readers are used to getting bad news about how Hawaii schools compare with those elsewhere in the nation. The latest report comes from Education Week magazine, which in its second annual survey ranks Hawaii schools in the bottom half in five of six categories - a worse rating than last year.
School report card
On one count, low teacher salaries, the report does not take into account the pay raises negotiated by the teachers union last year. They should raise Hawaii's standing somewhat in the next report.
That qualification, however, does not account for declines in the areas of standards and assessments, school climate and resource allocation. On school climate, which includes such factors as parental involvement, class size and the number of physical conflicts reported, Hawaii got a grade of F.
The report noted that only 16 percent of Hawaii 4th and 8th graders scored at or above the proficient level on the 1996 National Assessment of Education Progress in mathematics - well below the national average.
There is widespread agreement on the need to improve the public schools, but in an era of economic stagnation it's hard to come up with the money. Class size, for example, is a function of the amount of money available to pay teachers.
However, an improvement that would cost nothing would give the governor authority to run the school system in place of an elected Board of Education with little clout or direction.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
