Hawaii Governor David Ige spoke to Big Island Video News during a visit to Hilo on Saturday.
Video by David Corrigan
HILO – The Thirty Meter Telescope will again postpone construction on Mauna Kea… this time until Monday, April 20th.
The Office of Governor David Ige was informed of the postponement by TMT official today. The governor was on the Big Island participating in the Merrie Monarch Festival Royal Parade. No sooner had Ige and his wife, Dawn, marched by our camera then we noticed a media release from his office about the latest delay.
I thank TMT for its willingness to be respectful and sensitive to all of Hawai‘i – its special people, its sense of place and its unique host culture.”Gov. David Ige in a media release
On April 7th, officials put a one-week moratorium on the construction of the $1.4 billion TMT observatory on the summit of Mauna Kea as opposition intensified. 31 “protectors” were arrested on the sacred mountain on April 2 for obstructing TMT vehicles from accessing the construction site. The arrests garnered worldwide attention and ignited global support for the efforts of the protectors.
Hundreds of the protectors and their supporters also marched in the Merrie Monarch parade. The group gathered under the Aloha ‘Aina banner and were a commanding presence at the event. They followed several positions behind the governor in the parade line-up. We’ll have that video shortly.
Until this latest news, protectors were gearing up for another round of arrests on the mountain on Monday.
Big Island Video News caught up with the governor at a later dedication for the new Hilo High School Gym. Ige granted us a moment to talk one on one about the TMT situation. Governor Ige talked about the latest postponement, his recent trip to visit with the protectors on the mountain, and his first Merrie Monarch parade (and the connection between the Hawaiian cultural festival and the construction moratorium, if any.)
…”No sooner had Ige and his wife, Dawn, marched by our camera then we noticed a media release from his office about the latest delay”…
Yeah….like they even know you exist…
Govenor Ige—As the chosen leader of the Hawaiian Islands, I wonder why you would
support the bad decisions of your predecessors? People all over the world are watching.
What successful leader would ever let foreign countries take control of the highest and most sacred mountain that stands above his people?
You have the opportunity to be a Hero for the Hawaiian Islands.
• Stop the TMT construction.
• Stop the desecration of the ‘āina.
• Stop the raping of Mauna Kea.
It’s time for Mauna Kea to be for the people of Hawai‘i and not sold to the lowest bidder.
What logic leads you to conclude that your religious beliefs may be imposed upon everyone else in a country where the Constitution’s Bill of Rights guarantees to protect its citizens’ rights to freedom of, and from, religion? Oh, let me guess… this is not the United States, but the Kingdom of Hawaii, where no such freedom exists and the diktats of the “ali’i” are the supreme law of the land, including death sentences announced without any “due process”,, even simply because someone fails to acknowledge thelegitimacy of the supreme ruler, right?
Sign the petition and halt further damage of mauna kea
https://www.change.org/p/governor-david-y-ige-stop-tmt-construction-and-arrests-of-mauna-kea-protectors
Help stop further damage to our aina. Mahalo!
…Dear Governor…Please Support Construction and help feed the Poor…