Glad to be rid of ‘shibai’ candidates ADVERTISING Glad to be rid of ‘shibai’ candidates The latest round of elections has brought a long lived strictly local term to mind. For the politicians who don’t live where they claim the
Glad to be rid of ‘shibai’ candidates
The latest round of elections has brought a long lived strictly local term to mind. For the politicians who don’t live where they claim the homeowner tax exemption when they know they don’t live there, these actions are known as being “shibai.” In Hawaii County some of us refer it to as being “Kenoi.”
From Wikipedia: Shibai (pronounced like: “she buy,” with a slight vocal inflection on the second syllable) is a popular term commonly used in the state of Hawaii. Its general meaning refers to someone who is viewed as being “pretentious” or overtly “hypocritical.”
The term is used mostly regarding social interactions. It can be heard being used in reference to the political system in general, or applied to political actions, policies, even individual politicians who are deemed untrustworthy, shady or disingenuous.
I adamantly think that if someone is going to represent the public they should know what is going on in their personal lives, and lame untruthful excuses are not acceptable. I also think Hawaii County should go after back property taxes for the period of the purported amnesia attacks of these individuals. I didn’t know this or that in your personal life does not endear you to the public trust.
That being said, I am very proud of the voters in Hawaii for getting rid of the “shibai” candidates Neil Abercrombie and Malama Solomon. It was a good start, so please continue to use your votes to elect people who are at least somewhat honest or maybe even enlightened.
Ray Pieri
Kailua-Kona
Good riddance
to Abercrombie
Neil Abercrombie’s presence in the state for the last 50 years hardly makes him an outsider.
He ignored the will of the people. He was combative and chastised any person who disagreed or who had the courage to challenge him. In the last four years, the Legislature cut $800 million from his budget. And yet, he takes full credit for the $800 million surplus they created.
He criticized Lingle over furlough Fridays. But all he did was change the name to directed leave without pay. He acts like he’s a friend of the Native Hawaiian people but makes decisions that oppose their interests.
He is a typical politician: say one thing, do another.
Bernadette Bell is correct. Neil Abercrombie made tough decisions. But, all of them were in the interest of his political career, and not for the people. Going to your opponent’s headquarters to spend just a few moments congratulating him and using the rest of the time to talk about yourself is far from being “gracious in defeat.”
I look forward to seeing a new governor. Enjoy the results of the election, Duke.
Wryen Kiwaha
Honaunau
