Introduction
Legislation can be referred to as one of the most disputable areas of human activity that is used to regulate and control the relationships between individuals as parts of the communities and communities as large entities consisting of individuals.
The Akaka bill is aimed at restricting the rights of native Hawaiians as they should be acknowledged as the indigenous population of the territory of the United States in accordance with the federal laws. Besides, the Hawaiians will be treated as well as the Native Americans who enjoy the rights of the indigenous people in accordance with corresponding acts.
Thus, as suggested by critics, “current attacks on tribal sovereignty will instead be shifted to the new Akaka tribe” (Conklin par. 2). In this respect, the Akaka bill should be rejected because it unfairly favors the native Hawaiian community racially and ethnically. All entities that exist on the territory of a sovereign state should enjoy equal rights with other entities regardless of historic roots and specific conditions. Nobody should be granted privileges or special laws to operate under them.
The Akaka bill should be rejected because it justifies the possibility of every group of people with common interests to be considered as a self-governed sovereign unit. However, the separatist nature of this bill cannot strengthen the United States that are a home for a great variety of representatives of different nations.
Conclusion
The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009 (Akaka Bill) is aimed at reshaping the status of Hawaiian people by recognizing them as indigenous people that would live on the territory of the United States of America.
Though there are different opinions on that issue, it is necessary to analyze the benefits and drawbacks in case the Akaka bill is passed and changes in status of Hawaiian people in terms of sovereignty, rights, and freedoms. This means that Hawaiian people would be treated in the same way as Native American population with regard to limitation of their rights and freedoms.
The main purpose of the Akaka bill is to give power to a certain entity that will negotiate with the federal powers in terms of rights, land, and other resources. Thus, this bill should empower the government of the Hawaiian territory to act from behalf of Hawaiian people in order to regulate the issues related to division of land, resources, and the rights to enjoy (Dyke 116).
As the main issues concerning the Akaka bill are related to regulation of Hawaiian people’s life in terms of property matters, resources, land, and rights, it is necessary to reject the Akaka bill because it unfairly favors the native Hawaiian Community racially and ethnically. As the United States of America is a sovereign country, all people that live on its territory should enjoy equal rights and freedoms.
Though the Akaka bill received great support as it seeks to provide the programs aimed at protecting and supporting Hawaiian people’s activities such as housing programs, the Kamehameha schools, health-care and other programs (Okamura 77) it should be rejected.
Conflict of interests between governments of the Hawaiian territory and the federal one can ruin the principles of liberty and deprive the indigenous Hawaiian population f rights they can enjoy being full-fledged citizens of the United States. So, they can choose to receive protection of their civil rights as the indigenous Hawaiians or to reject the Akaka bill and remain a part of the sovereign state.
Works Cited
Conklin, Kenneth. Dialog: Is It Possible to Oppose the Akaka Bill for Unique Reasons That Do not Attack the Sovereignty of Indian Tribes in General? Angelfire, 9 July 2009. Web. http://www.angelfire.com/big09a/DialogOpposeAkakaMeansOpposeTribes.html
Dyke, Jon Van. Who owns the Crown lands of Hawaii? Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2008.
Okamura, Jonathan. Ethnicity and inequality in Hawai’i. Honolulu: Temple University Press, 2008.