ANOTHER PLEBISCITE IS
COWARDLY DANCED AROUND
Are Puerto Ricans Americans?
Are Puerto Ricans Latin American?
Are they Both?
It looks like we're not going to find out anytime soon. The folks that did go to the polls voted for statehood but that was less 1/3 of the population. You may ask yourself why is an island that from 1972 through 1984 turnout exceeded 80 percent of the voting-age population, and at one point more than 95 percent were registered. Between 1972 and 2000, Puerto Rico averaged 79 percent turnout in its quadrennial elections.
But for yesterday's plebiscite on statehood or independence not even 1/3 turned out. Why? Because two of the island's parties have called these plebiscites illegitimate.
Politics is not a spectator sport in Puerto Rico. When there is a change of party in the Governor's mansion (La Fortaleza) there is a shift that is felt throughout the island. even school teachers can be affected.
These political parties in fear of losing the election and in the case of a statehood win; their reason for existing, direct their members to boycott the plebiscite vote. The only way they can be sure nobody votes for "the enemy" like what just happened with Donald Trump.
Anybody from your party even seen at the voting site is a traitor, a collaborator, a vende patria.
So we keep on playing the game. The parties continue to operate their franchises and career politicians can go on with their lives in peace until the next plebiscite.
When I first got into politics one of my first lessons was. "If you don't know what you want. Nobody's going to tell you."
Until Puerto Rico summons up the courage to open that door they will be shuckin and jivin in colonial limbo...
Mr. Willie Colon it is true that whenever the PPD party (colonial party) knows is going to loose a plebisite they start with the miss-information. The press which is dominated by them has become a propaganda machine to continue to influence every puertorican on the island by selling them dreams and tapping into the nationalist sentiment. How can leaders from El Partido Popular say that we should stay like we are since we have entered into our second decade of economic debacle. Remember that if nothing is done, they win and they will continue to preach the same colonial lie since 1952. For too long the big economic powers of the US and PR (few elite) has profitted in PR at the expense of the normal people utilizing the big lie. The second big lie, I am currently living on the Island but I lived in the mainland for many years, served proudly in the military and I never felt that I was loosing my culture or forgot to speak spanish. For too manny years they have used this lie in then school system to intimidate the newly young voters before they are eligible to cast thier vote. Off course when things go wrong, they blame the Yankees, but they love their money end liberties that come with the US constitution.
ReplyDeleteFor too many years both political parties in the US had played with the puertorriican living on the Island, when they come to get money and the supprot for their election and then they forget about us. The PPD states that all puertorrican are democrats when in essence the people from the Island are more conservative than the state republicans. Today, the PPD questions the percetage of the voters but last time I checked the people who go and cast their vote are the ones that counts. The current PPD leader won his position with a lesser percentage when they had their primary. This dichotomy must end since they do not want PR for once and for all put an end to the colonial status that have affected us for more than 500 years. The 3rd political party, the Independence, has failed to even register a 3% in each of the last four elections yet, the press here, give them more time than when our governor speaks. I say to then that becoming the 51st state it's also worthy for all US citizents leaving on the Island. The fight for us to become the 51st state has just started!!!!!!!
Thank you for those words. You have made an excellent point.
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