The coalition of Puerto Rican organizations in the diaspora requested that the commitment to the “Puerto Rico Status Act” that proposes a federal plebiscite on the island between non-territorial options be excluded from the Democratic Party’s government platform
El Diario New York – The coalition of Puerto Rican organizations in the diaspora, Power 4 Puerto Rico, thundered against the inclusion of the “ Puerto Rico Status Act” (HR2757 / S.3231) in the government platform of the Democratic Party, considering that it is not a democratic way to resolve the issue of the political status of the island.
“Power 4 Puerto Rico strongly rejects the Democratic Party platform that supports the anti-democratic Puerto Rico Status Act , after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) approved a draft platform for the convention that removes references to self-determination and now supports the ill-conceived legislation,” the group stated in a statement sent yesterday to El Diario.
The Puerto Rico Status Act, with versions in both the House and the Senate, provides for the holding of a binding or federally endorsed plebiscite among the non-territorial options of statehood, independence, and free association . The ELA or Free Associated State, the current system of government on the island, is not among the options because it is territorial, although leaders of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) on the island favor its inclusion as part of any status consultation .
The amendment to the government program that resulted in the inclusion of federal legislation in the platform came from the incoming president of the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico (DPPR) , Luis Dávila Pernas , who is a member of the ruling New Progressive Party (PNP) and favors statehood.
In statements to El Diario, the official, who is also the director of the Puerto Rico Affairs Administration Office in Washington DC (PRFAA), said that by proposing the change in language he seeks to take the issue of decolonization more seriously given that the term self-determination encourages stagnation in the discussion.
“Colleagues, Puerto Rico cannot determine anything; we need Congressional action to do so. And that is why this self-determination thing has been used to do nothing … We are better than this, and that is why, and thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, the Democrats decided to stop dancing around this issue and get to work,” Dávila Pernas said during the Democratic national meeting on Tuesday.
Power 4 Puerto Rico members disagree with this assessment and have asked that the language be excluded from the government program before it is ratified at the Democratic National Convention to be held on August 26 in Chicago, Illinois.
“We urge the Democratic National Convention to reject the proposed platform language that seeks to impose particular status outcomes on the people of Puerto Rico and deprives Puerto Ricans of the full information they need to determine their future,” said Erica González, director of the coalition.
The activist also questioned whether, if a plebiscite of this type is approved, millionaire foreigners who reside on the island with tax exemption decrees under Law 22 (“Law to Encourage the Transfer of Individual Investors to Puerto Rico”) would be able to vote in the consultation, and not members of the diaspora who could have been displaced by these policies supported by the Pierluisi Administration.
“ There is nothing democratic about a law that will empower multimillionaire tax evaders and millionaires to vote on the permanent status of an island in which they have no roots, while suppressing any participation by Puerto Ricans in the diaspora, many of whom have been forced to leave the island,” he said.
“The Democratic Party has left behind Puerto Rican voters – the second largest Latino group in the U.S., who take the self-determination of their country of origin seriously and do not want Congress to impose its will on the people of Puerto Rico,” argued Juan Calderón, director of operations of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago , an entity that is part of the coalition.
According to Calderón, the most inclusive way to direct a democratic process would be through a Constitutional Status Assembly , a proposal that is supposedly supported by more than 100 Puerto Rican entities.
The call against the Junta in the Democratic platform
For his part, Federico de Jesús, senior advisor to Power 4 Puerto Rico, questioned the fact that the platform includes a call for the departure of the Fiscal Control Board from the island, while President Joe Biden continues to appoint members with interests in Wall Street to the organization.
“ While we applaud Democrats for calling for an end to the unelected, Congress-imposed Fiscal Control Board in Puerto Rico, we must keep in mind that when Democrats held a majority in Congress, no action was taken in that direction, and President Biden has made Wall Street nominations to that board that are contrary to the interests of the island ,” said De Jesús, who incidentally questioned Biden’s failure to keep his campaign promise to limit the “harmful” board.
The groups and individuals supporting the call to discard language favoring the Puerto Rico Status Act in the Democratic platform are: Latino Justice PRLDEF, Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Alianza for Progress, Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora, Puerto Rican Alliance, Vamos, LULAC Florida, Casa in Action, El Otro Puerto Rico, La Tejedora, La Mesa Boricua de Florida; former San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz; former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, among others.
Entities that are part of Power 4 Puerto Rico have opposed the plebiscite proposal since the first version of the measure, known as HR8393 , was introduced in the House of Representatives in July 2022. The bill was approved by Democrats and some Republicans in December of that year .
The basic argument of these groups is that the referendum leans toward statehood, since it does not contain clear language or precise information on issues such as the official language, federal taxes, citizenship and Puerto Rico’s representation in the Olympics.
The coalition has also requested that public hearings be held in English and Spanish so that Puerto Ricans on the island and in the diaspora can gain in-depth knowledge of the content of the legislation.
Read the full article in Spanish at: https://eldiariony.com/2024/07/19/power-4-puerto-rico-alega-que-plataforma-democrata-no-es-democratica-en-cuanto-a-propuesta-para-resolver-tema-del-estatus/
