<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<span class="date">November 08, 2012 05:39PM EST</span><span
class="pdfDownload"><a
href="https://publish.nyc.indymedia.org/nyc/servlet/OpenMir?do=getpdf&id=121032&forIE=.pdf"></a></span>
<p class="headline"> <b>PUERTO RICO’S STATUS VOTE FAR FROM DEFINITIVE</b>
</p>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2012/11/121032.html">http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2012/11/121032.html</a><br>
<br>
By Juan Antonio Ocasio Rivera <br>
<br>
Much is being said about the vote in Puerto Rico and in particular, the
vote on the island’s future political relationship with the United
States. Interestingly, some news outlets are simplifying the results,
presenting them as overwhelming votes for statehood or reporting that
Puerto Ricans want to be a part of the United States. A closer look at
the dynamics involved in the referendum yield a more complicated
scenario. <br>
<br>
Puerto Rico has been a colony of the US since 1898, when American naval
fleets bombarded San Juan during the Spanish-American War and
subsequently invaded through the island’s southern coasts. Islanders,
having been involved in their own struggle for independence from Spain
as well as having taken a blood oath with the Cuban independence
struggle, either fought skirmishes with the invading American troops or
welcomed them with open arms, imagining that they would be blessed with
the liberties promised by American political ideals. Instead, martial
law was established, Spanish citizenship outlawed, currency devalued,
and independence supporters persecuted. In the end, Puerto Rico was to
remain a colonial territory, a possession, this time under the tutelage
of the United States. Over time, the relationship developed amidst
turmoil and controversy. In response to Puerto Rican Nationalist
agitation and growing violence between island police forces and
nationalist revolutionaries demanding independence, and international
pressure, the US in 1952 developed the current political status known
as the Commonwealth. The status, which allowed the island to develop
its own local government, did not change the fundamental political
relationship with the US, as Congress continued to maintain full
political responsibility over the island. To this day, Puerto Ricans
continue to call for some type of change to this political status. <br>
<br>
Several times over the course of this history, the island has been
offered opportunities to express its opinion regarding the political
status issue via local referendum. Each one has yielded the same
general result with the status quo Commonwealth status winning the
consultation, although with the caveat at times of what the Carter
Administration referred to as a campaign of “dirty tricks” being
conducted by the CIA in their fraudulent meddling with the 1967
gubernatorial election and referendum there. This casts doubt on the
legitimacy of the results as does the consistent interference with the
island’s independence movement by the FBI and the island’s local police
forces. <br>
<br>
In recent years, the issue of the political status of Puerto Rico
flared up once again with the release of the Bush Administration’s
report on the issue, which confirmed once again that the island was a
colonial territory of the US and claimed, among other things, that the
US had the legal right to promptly surrender the island to any other
nation. Alarmed by the colonialist nature of this position, island
political leadership began pressuring Congress for a first: a
referendum on status organized and sponsored by Congress itself, making
the results binding. The Congressional behemoth, paralyzed by fears of
a Spanish-speaking Latin American nation with a history of radical
nationalism becoming the 51st state, did not respond and left the issue
to be addressed by the island’s local government. Pro-statehood
officials at the helm of the Commonwealth then organized this two-step
vote in order to gauge the will of the people. <br>
<br>
The design of the vote went something like this: The governor of Puerto
Rico, a pro-statehood Tea Party supporter who supported draconian
economic measures and laid off 30,000 government workers at the outset
of his administration, and his statehood party, designed the so-called
plebiscite. They determined that since the Bush administration report
called the Commonwealth status territorial and colonial, and since
everyone knows colonialism is wrong and must be remedied, the status
vote should only include options that are not colonial in nature. Thus,
the options were determined to be: statehood, independence, and a
version of Commonwealth supported by some and named “enhanced
Commonwealth”. This last option would signify some kind of relationship
with the US but with greater autonomy and power wielded by the island
over herself. <br>
<br>
However, the pro-Comonwealth party protested the measure, insisting
that the majority of Puerto Ricans want the status quo and denied that
the current status was colonial in nature. This caused fracture and
division in their party, as some internally pushed the party to adopt a
stance supporting more autonomy and power for the island. <br>
<br>
While the independence movement continued to call for the island’s
independence as a remedy for the invasion and conquest of the island
and rejected statehood as just another form of colonialism, the Puerto
Rican Independence Party then proposed that a two-step vote be taken.
One step designed to allow the people to declare their rejection or
acceptance of the current political status and the second step allowing
those who reject the status quo to declare their future status
preference. The pro-Statehood administration accepted this proposal and
the measure was passed over the objection of the Commonwealthers who
promptly declared they would abstain from the process and called on
their supporters to either abstain or conduct protest votes (either
submit a blank vote or write a protest message on the ballot). <br>
<br>
The initial results on Election Day were quite interesting. Incumbent
Governor Luis Fortuno, a favorite of the US Republican Party, was voted
out of office as the electorate, angry over layoffs, social turmoil,
spiraling crime rates, corruption, and high unemployment, decided to
place their confidence in pro-Commonwealth candidate Alejandro Garcia. <br>
<br>
The so-called plebiscite results were equally as interesting. The first
question resulted in a mild rejection of the status quo with 54% voting
NO on continuing the Commonwealth status and 46% voting YES. A closer
look reveals that if one includes protest votes in the total then the
true support for NO drops to 51%. The second question is now the
subject of raging debate. <br>
<br>
First reports placed Statehood with 61% support, followed by enhanced
commonwealth with 33% and independence with 6%. Why would the
electorate vote a pro-Commonwealth governor into power but reject the
Commonwealth status? Why would they vote a pro-Commonwealth governor
into power but select Statehood as their preferred status? What would
have happened if the vote included the normal actual status quo
Commonwealth as an option? Would it have won the vote? <br>
<br>
A closer examination of the ballots now reveal something else. If again
one includes the blank votes submitted by Commonwealth supporters (470,
032 votes) and protest votes (17, 673) then the number of total votes
changes, leading one to conclude that statehood received a total of
804, 637 votes (45%) and non-statehood a total of 998, 892 votes (55%).
Under this scenario, the majority of the electorate on the island does
not really support statehood. Additionally, it is interesting to note
that approximately 40% of the electorate voted to support Puerto Rico's
sovereignty (either in relation to the US or as an independent
country). <br>
<br>
Also, it is evident that even if folks voted YES in support of the
status quo in the first question thus eliminating the need for them to
vote in the second part for a preferred status option, many went ahead
and voted in the second part of the referendum anyway since no control
measure was placed over that process. This may have skewed the true
sentiments of the electorate. <br>
<br>
Well known sports figures on the island tweeted their opinion following
the results, declaring their desire to continue to represent the island
during Olympic events, an implicit rejection of statehood. The island
would lose its independent Olympic representation if it becomes a
state. The results provoked a flurry of commentary across the island,
as some expressed a desire to become a state based on the their
perception that the island would receive a marked increase in federal
tax dollars – a perception strongly promoted by the island’s
pro-statehood party, and others denouncing statehood as a death
sentence for the island’s rich culture, Latin American history, Spanish
language, and fervent national identity. <br>
<br>
In the end, the vote was a referendum, a consultation on the opinion of
the electorate. It is non-binding meaning Congress has no obligation to
act on the results and as in the past, will likely ignore the results.
Governor elect Garcia has called the status vote “a mess” and has
stated he would ignore the results and instead call for a Constituent
Assembly in January 2014. This mechanism entails organizing a national
convention designed to discuss status options and present alternatives
to Congress in an effort to negotiate a status with the United States. <br>
<br>
In the end, it is clear that the current Commonwealth status has
reached its end. With Puerto Rico in severe social, economic,
environmental, and political crisis having occurred within the
Commonwealth system with no real solutions being available within that
system, it is evident that this political status is no longer
functional and effective for the development and success of the island
and its population. Its limitations have taken a severe toll on the
island. Additionally, any system of government that is colonial in
nature is one that is wrong, obsolete, and according to the UN, a crime
and an impediment to world peace. <br>
<br>
Whatever one may think about this issue, the truth is that it continues
to be a deeply complicated and passionate one. The complexities cannot
be escaped from or evaded. Statehood supporters claim they have a right
to statehood and have begun to use civil rights language, since they
feel they are Americans, are proud of their American citizenship, proud
of the participation of Puerto Ricans in the US Armed Forces, state
they want equality and economic parity with the rest of the states, and
wish to deepen this relationship with the US. Commonwealth supporters
express pride in being Puerto Rican but also deeply value American
citizenship, express they have the best of both worlds, reject the
notion that Puerto Rico is a colony, value American military defense
over the island, and talk of a permanent relationship with the US.
Independence supporters express a wish to have full control over the
island’s economic, political, territorial, and social affairs, wish to
have international representation by joining the United Nations and
full economic partnerships with other countries, and refer to the
island’s continued colonization as a relic of the past akin to slavery
and imperialism, as well as calling for freedom of their political
prisoners and an end to FBI interference in their movement. <br>
<br>
However, there is one element not being mentioned. This being a process
of decolonization, it is striking that the United Nations has not been
invited to take part in this process. Whereas the United States
traditionally rejects the UN’s annual call for Puerto Rico’s
independence and self-determination, it has also admitted that the
island is a colonial territory that has never undergone a process of
self-determination. <br>
<br>
Since the US has acknowledged that the UN is the body legally
responsible for decolonization of territories, it is disheartening that
it would continue to isolate the United Nations from this process,
especially considering the complexity of the issue involved here and
the expertise that the UN wields. International law dictates that the
international community is charged with leading and organizing such a
process and here Puerto Rico sadly struggles with her political future
after being militarily invaded with no help allowed from the community
of nations. In spite of calls made for Puerto Rico’s freedom from
dozens of countries in Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East,
there is no concrete step taken by the colonial power to remedy their
act of colonization and break the chains of political bondage. <br>
<br>
As the Caribbean archipelago of Puerto Rico once again grapples with
visions of the future which are affected by experiences of the past,
one can only hope that the final result is one of justice, deserving of
a people subjected to over 500 years of colonialism and who yearn, just
as everyone does, for a brighter future and a better tomorrow. <br>
<br>
SOURCES: <br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://div2.ceepur.org/REYDI_NocheDelEvento/index.html#es/default/OPCIONES_NO_TERRITORIALES_ISLA.xml">http://div2.ceepur.org/REYDI_NocheDelEvento/index.html#es/default/OPCIONES_NO_TERRITORIALES_ISLA.xml</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=62699&ct_id=1">http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=62699&ct_id=1</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.icdc.com/%7Epaulwolf/cointelpro/cointel.htm">http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/cointel.htm</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/vol4n16/CarpetaQuestions-en.html">http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/vol4n16/CarpetaQuestions-en.html</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koAVxejtMVM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koAVxejtMVM</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/55784210/Ward-Churchill-the-Fbis-Wars-Against-the-Black-Panther-Party">http://www.scribd.com/doc/55784210/Ward-Churchill-the-Fbis-Wars-Against-the-Black-Panther-Party</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2012/1108/Does-Puerto-Rico-really-want-to-become-the-51st-US-state">http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2012/1108/Does-Puerto-Rico-really-want-to-become-the-51st-US-state</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/puerto-rico-state-flag_n_2090769.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/puerto-rico-state-flag_n_2090769.html</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/puerto-rico-statehood-vote_n_2088254.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/puerto-rico-statehood-vote_n_2088254.html</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.rgj.com/usatoday/article/1689097?odyssey=mod%7cnewswell%7ctext%7cLocal%20News%7cs">http://www.rgj.com/usatoday/article/1689097?odyssey=mod%7cnewswell%7ctext%7cLocal%20News%7cs</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.inquisitr.com/390343/puerto-rico-votes-to-become-51st-state/">http://www.inquisitr.com/390343/puerto-rico-votes-to-become-51st-state/</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/11/07/puerto-rico-approves-statehood/?wprss=rss_politics">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/11/07/puerto-rico-approves-statehood/?wprss=rss_politics</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/11/07/actualidad/1352254221_548334.html">http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/11/07/actualidad/1352254221_548334.html</a>
<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.03050200.00000206@freedomarchives.org" border="0"> <a
href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/07/puerto-rico-referendum/1689097/?sf7094729=1">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/07/puerto-rico-referendum/1689097/?sf7094729=1</a>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>