See nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. Hawaiʻi has seen a long list of indictments and convictions of public workers and elected leaders, but what about corruption of another kind? The kind that protects criminal activity?
Randall "Randy" Roth, professor emeritus of law at the University of Hawaiʻi, sparked upheaval over corruption at the powerful Bishop Estate in a 1997 essay published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. It was later expanded in a 2006 book, "Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement & Political Manipulation at America’s Largest Charitable Trust."
Bishop Estate is now known simply as Kamehameha Schools. Under threat of losing its charitable tax status, Bishop could no longer be business as usual.
In a recent article published in the Hawaiʻi Bar Journal, “Public Corruption in the Land of Aloha,” Roth set his sights on what he calls "non-criminal corruption."
He says willful blindness — or intentional ignorance — to wrongdoing is widespread in Hawaiʻi.
"They don't want to upset people in a position of power, or people who have friends in a position of power. And that's what enables and facilitates and ultimately protects the criminal wrongdoers," he told HPR.
In his article, Roth focuses on two high-profile corruption cases: the Kealohas and Bishop Estate.
Former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and former Honolulu Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha are serving time behind bars for their part in a conspiracy to frame Katherine Kealoha's uncle, Gerard Puana.
"In the Kealoha series of cases, again, we see these watchdog organizations that apparently didn't see what in hindsight they should have seen. And if they did see it, they pretended not to see it, or at least, that would seem to be the evidence," Roth said.
"If they're not willing to take those kinds of risks, then they should turn down the opportunity to serve on such prestigious boards."
Roth says factors such as the state's remote location and its overlapping social networks make it understandable why there would be more non-criminal corruption than in other places.
For example, he says, if you cross the wrong people in Hawaiʻi, it affects your ability to survive financially because you cannot easily move to a nearby city or state.
"That doesn't justify it, but I think if we take a step back and look at what's unique to Hawaiʻi, it's hardly surprising that we have this stronger tendency, more prevalent tendency to go along, to get along," he said.
But Roth says recognizing the causes of non-criminal corruption and tolerating it are two different things.
"The human condition is such that, especially when we're talking about the interests of our loved ones, there's a natural tendency to avoid doing something that's going to adversely affect the people that you care about," Roth told HPR.
This story aired on The Conversation on Jan. 5, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Sophia McCullough adapted this story for the web.
