Governor Ige to Mayor Kim on Living Monument for World Peace on Mauna Kea

Gov. David Ige called on Hawaiʻi Mayor Harry Kim to lead and organize a working group to create a Living Monument for World Peace at Mauna Kea.

In a letter to Mayor Kim dated Oct. 14, 2017, Gov. Ige wrote, “All of Hawaiʻi Nei stands at a crossroad regarding Mauna Kea’s and our collective future.”

“I could think of no better person than you to lead and organize a working group of like-minded individuals to create a Living Monument of World Peace on Mauna Kea. I trust you without any reservation and hesitation in this endeavor,” Gov. Ige wrote.

Mayor Kim accepted the task and responded to Gov. Ige’s call for action saying, “You are so right in your statement of honor and respect for the special gift of Mauna Kea and the people of Hawaiʻi (First Nation of Hawaiʻi). I thank you for your trust in me to carry out this very difficult task.  As you are well aware, there is a complexity of pre-existent management responsibilities of leases, permits, funding sources, authorities and overlapping jurisdictions.”

He continued saying, “The decision to do this was uncomfortable simply because of the awareness of many people who are better suited for this important task.”

In a letter dated Oct. 26, 2017, Mayor Kim said he would pursue the effort, “with all the energy” he can possess and will reach out for wisdom and guidance. “This as you know, must be collective in nature and its success will be so dependent on people’s willingness to get together and listen to each other.  This is such a worth mission as Mauna Kea and Hawaiʻi so rightfully deserve to be globally recognized as cultural and natural treasures.”

Gov. Ige explained the thought behind the monument saying, “This journey will test all of us and will go beyond the merging of culture, science, education, economics and the environment. On this journey, we must be mindful that we are able to call Hawaiʻi our home today because of the grace, mutual respect and aloha that were given to us as a gift by the People of Hawaiʻi’s First Nation,” said Gov. Ige.

“It will require unite and special people who can coordinate their own hearts and minds and lead us forward for the collective existence of Mauna Kea and all of us, with no obligation in return,” he said.

Gov. Ige said the he believed the collective efforts would positively change the trajectory of Hawaiʻi so present and future generations can choose to call Hawaiʻi home. “Therefore, I humbly ask you to lead us along this preferred path of peace for a better future,” he wrote, saying he will make himself, his staff and resources available to Mayor Kim to achieve this goal.

Mayor Kim responded saying, “A place on this earth as a symbol of diverse people living together peacefully and respectfully in harmony with nature. This of Hawaiʻi, and the people of the First Nation that grew out of a painful history of wrongs and today finds a cosmopolitan people remarkable tot he world.  This treasured place of Hawaiʻi should be and can be a beacon of hope for peace in this world. This, I will work towards.”