The Independence of Puerto Rico after the 2024 electoral cycle
by Carlos R. Alicea Negrón
“The accusations of some intellectuals and political leaders about the betrayal of the Puerto Rican people to their independence and their justice are false. The history of the country reveals, on the contrary, that in the decisive moments of our historical avatar the people have always responded. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of its leadership. The history of Puerto Rican retreats is the history of the retreats of its leaders. Throughout our history the people have advanced despite their leaders. And they have been stopped and held back by their leadership.” Juan Antonio Corretjer in The Fight for the Independence of Puerto Rico
In the last colonial electoral process, a survey was held, wrongly called a status plebiscite, to elucidate the “status” preference[1] of those Puerto Rican brothers and sisters who decided to use the colonial elections as a way of expressing their political feelings. The poll asked for preference regarding annexation (called statehood as a euphemism to disguise a crime against humanity outlawed by international law since that act would annex an invaded nation to the nation that invaded it), independence and free association.
A total of 293,224[2] brothers who decided to use the electoral process controlled by the empire EXPRESSED NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE AS THEIR ALTERNATIVE TO END THE COLONY IN PUERTO RICO. This despite a violent and lying advertising campaign that labeled (nothing new) independence as hell, as the apocalypse. Annexation continues to plummet and National Independence continues its growth boom.
This represents a challenge and responsibility for the National Liberation Movement. An advance is being made towards the critical mass of population necessary to push and advance the agreement of National Independence in Our People, ending the colonial regime. This requires the commitment of all the MLN organizations, in a common work agenda and with a narrative of political formation that identifies, mobilizes, and encourages and leads to action this people, who already see independence as necessary, to model and move their communities, their loved ones, and their friends in the direction of seeing Independence as fundamental and necessary to have the possibility of building the dignified and just nation that we deserve as a people. So, let’s fight, let’s act for the Independence of Puerto Rico. Let’s not be the hindrance of the people.
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[1] There is no status problem in our invaded and occupied nation, there is a colonial regime resulting from an illegal occupation since 1898 that can only be resolved with the cessation of the invasion and that our people can exercise the political sovereignty usurped since 1898 that is only possible since National Independence.
[2] In addition, in an electoral campaign that proposed not to legitimize this survey, 182,580 brothers and sisters cast a blank ballot or damaged it.
US election results and the effect on Puerto Rico and other colonies
By Diane Viera
Donald Trump has shown to have characteristics that classify him as an ultra-right-wing leader with a fascist bent. This means that he has a xenophobic and racist character that he shares with the rest of his Republican party. Although there is not much difference between the colonial-imperial policies of the United States on the part of the Democratic and Republican parties, one favorable aspect about Trump is that he does not hide his intentions. That said, what can we expect from him, his cabinet and congress during these next 4 years when during his first presidential term he grossly demonstrated his contempt for the Puerto Rican people?
As a summary, to explain this hostility, Trump after Hurricane Maria in 2017 complained that we would affect his budget due to the FEMA funds that he would have to reimburse us; In 2018, he suggested exchanging Puerto Rico for Greenland because he classified our island as “dirty” and “poor” and during his recent electoral campaign he endorsed an American comedian at one of his political events referring to Puerto Rico as an island of garbage.
Preliminarily, taking into consideration this old hostility towards Puerto Rico plus his campaign promises, which include budget cuts to federal institutions that prioritize education, an increase in extractive activity of natural resources; an increase in import tariffs and incentives to the Department of Justice for political persecution, we could foresee some impact scenarios for Puerto Rico. These scenarios could be: cuts to education funds, delay in the disbursement of more than half of recovery funds for the damage caused by the hurricanes of 2017 and 2022; extractive projects or exploitation of our natural resources such as water, agricultural lands and mineral deposits; rising living costs and intensifying criminalization of protest.
As for Puerto Rico’s colonial status, the interests of the empire will always guide their positions. And although they are less crude than the Democrats, the Republicans will not comply with international law and it will be difficult to respect the inalienable and inalienable right to national independence of an invaded and occupied nation such as Puerto Rico. Despite this, for those of us who fight for decolonization and independence, the fact that the Republican House and Senate do not envision admitting new states that favor the Democratic Party, helps us to have more material to cut for the benefit of our campaign.
Caribbean Peoples vs. Colonialism
By Estelí Capote
Last Wednesday, November 6, the Secretary of the Assembly of the Peoples of the Caribbean – Kandis Sebro – organized a panel to discuss the colonial situation of several Caribbean nations, one of the two regions of the world with the highest concentration of colonies in the world. Comrades from Martinique, Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico presented the latest news on the colonial situation in their countries and how military and economic intervention by the administrative powers is repeated.
In the case of Martinique and Guadeloupe, the comrades detailed the strong political persecution to which citizens are subjected and the remilitarization of the colonies while citizens carry out almost daily protests against the high cost of living.
In the case of Puerto Rico, Estelí Capote – general coordinator of the Puerto Rican Institute of International Relations – began by explaining that on November 5, general elections were held in her country to choose the next governor – administrator of the colony. She acknowledged that, although the annexationist party won, for the first time in more than 70 years the independence movement positioned itself as the second electoral force, in a clear message of discontent with the status quo in which the United States maintains Puerto Rico. In addition, she listed some of the crudest evidence of colonialism today, including the imposition by the Obama administration of the Fiscal Control Board and the approval of Laws 20 and 22 and gentrification. The Board imposed to guarantee the payment of an illegal debt to vulture fund bondholders above the social welfare of Puerto Ricans and Law 20 and 22 to openly allow the usurpation of the territory and natural resources by foreigners, wrongly called investors, and – as a consequence – the gentrification of several municipalities throughout the archipelago.
The representative of Cuba, RoqueDayron Roqe, recalled and ratified that Cuba’s commitment to the independence of Puerto Rico and the rest of the countries of the world is constituted from the very foundation of the Martian nation.
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