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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Puerto Rico’s Colonial Government Collapses</h1>August 17, 2022</div>
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<img src="https://orinocotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/puerto_rico_resistencia_foto_internacional_progresista.jpg_1718483347.jpg" alt="Protesters in Puerto Rico raise a banner demanding an end to US colonization of the island. Photo: Progressive International." style="margin-right: 0px;" width="392" height="221">
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Protesters in Puerto Rico raise a banner
demanding an end to US colonization of the island. Photo: Progressive
International. </p>
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<p>By José (Papo) Coss – Aug 12, 2022</p>
<p>For the first time in its history, the people of Puerto Rico are
seeing the total collapse of the island’s colonial administration,
mainly due to the open corruption of the two traditional parties, both
of which promote integration into the United States and/or the
permanence of the colonial regime.</p>
<p>At the moment, all basic public services such as health, education,
housing, and security are practically dismantled, impoverishing the
majority of the population, despite the funds allocated by the US
authorities. Public funds are diverted to fraudulent corporations,
controlled by members of the corrupt political parties and their
families.</p>
<p>It is estimated that more than $10 billion have been looted during
the last decade alone by officials and businesspeople linked to the New
Progressive Party (PNP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PPD),
bombastic names that try to disguise submission of power to the US in
exchange for financial benefits.</p>
<p>Both PNP and PPD leaderships are neoliberal and intermediaries of big
US capital, specialized in the culture of public corruption that has
put more than 400 people in jail in the last decade. In fact, two former
governors have already been accused by the US courts in Puerto Rico,
since the local judicial authorities look the other way.</p>
<p>Due to this atavistic robbery, in 2016, former US President Barack
Obama imposed, in a dictatorial manner, a “fiscal oversight” board that
controls the government’s finances, to guarantee payment with exorbitant
interest to the powerful Wall Street bondholders. Hence, that odious
debt is privileged above all the essential services for the people,
which has led to the current collapse of the colonial administration.</p>
<p>This situation led to the closure of half of our public schools, the
most essential educational service for our children and youth. The same
was done with public health, which had already been partially
privatized. Likewise, in the case of the public university, 50% of its
budget was cut, which has caused massive emigration of the social group
that represents the best knowledge, talent and hope that the country
has.</p>
<p>Historically, nearly six million Puerto Ricans have been forced to
leave their nation to seek better living conditions, and there are just
under three million left in the Puerto Rican archipelago. The objective
of the empire is to displace the Puerto Rican community by billionaire
Americans, who little by little have been buying our best lands and
facilities.</p>
<p>As a result of this serious political, economic and social crisis,
crime has skyrocketed to levels never seen before, with daily murders by
armed drug gangs. These thugs roam openly and commit crimes in broad
daylight. In truth, the people of Puerto Rico are in the midst of a
civil war among groups of drug traffickers who have no respect for the
value of life.</p>
<p><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/on-marxism-and-decolonisation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED CONTENT: On Marxism and Decolonisation</a></p>
<p>Given all this alarming situation, the credibility of the PNP-PPD
leadership is in free fall, and broad sectors of workers have taken to
the streets daily to protest and propose solutions. For this reason, the
two colonial parties historically supported by the USA lost almost half
of their voters in 2016 and 2020.</p>
<p>Everyday there is more awareness in Puerto Rico of the need to unite
all the political and social movements in struggle, including the Puerto
Rican Independence Party (PIP) and the Citizens’ Victory Movement
(MVC), which since 2020 has become the third largest political force in
the country and the second in the capital of San Juan.</p>
<p>Currently, a legal procedure and street mobilizations are being
planned to repeal the ban on electoral alliances, which was
opportunistically approved by the PNP-PPD shortly before the 2020
elections. For the first time, a left-wing electoral front could defeat
the PNP-PPD, the two parties which, with the backing of the USA, have
taken turns in the administration for decades.</p>
<p>Despite all the adverse circumstances, the people of Puerto Rico are
in resistance. Just as we defeated the attempts to culturally assimilate
us and the constant persecution of our independence movement, we will
have to take advantage of this collapse of the colonial government to
advance towards decolonization and social justice.</p>
<p>(<a href="https://www.telesurtv.net/opinion/El-colapso-del-Gobierno-colonial-de-Puerto-Rico-20220812-0018.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telesur</a>)</p>
<p>Translation: Orinoco Tribune</p><br></div>
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