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WORLD NEWS Monday 6 June 2022

Puerto Ricans speak out on U.S. territory's political status

By DÁNICA COTO ated Press. tial treatment of residents
Associated Press About an hour into the of Puerto Rico. In an 8-1
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) hearing, a small group of vote, the court ruled that
— Hundreds of Puerto Ri- people including a former making Puerto Ricans ineli-
cans crowded into a con- gubernatorial candidate gible for the Supplemental
vention center Saturday who supports indepen- Security Income program,
where federal legislators dence burst into the ball- which offers benefits to
held a public hearing to room, pointed fingers at blind, disabled and older
decide the future of the the panel of U.S. legislators Americans, did not uncon-
island's political status as and yelled, "120 years of stitutionally discriminate
the U.S. territory struggles colonialism!" against them.
to recover from hurricanes, The majority of the audi- As a result, many of those
earthquakes and a deep ence booed the group and who spoke at Saturday's
economic crisis. yelled at them to leave as public hearing welcomed
One by one, dozens of U.S. lawmakers called for the proposed binding pleb-
people ranging from poli- calm. iscite. The Puerto Rican flag flies in front of Puerto Rico's Capitol as in
ticians to retirees to young "Democracy is not always "We finally see the light at San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 29, 2015.
people leaned into a pretty, but it's necessary," the end of the tunnel," said Associated Press
microphone and spoke said Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Víctor Pérez, a U.S. military
against the island's current Arizona, chairman of the veteran who lamented vote for our president, our measure, which he said is a
territorial status, which rec- U.S. House of Natural Re- the current political status. commander in chief, (but) way to make amends. He
ognizes its people as U.S. sources Committee, which "Even after all our service they send us to war." said he hopes it will go to
citizens but does not allow oversees affairs in U.S. ter- and sacrifice, we come Grijalva said the testimo- the House floor by August.
them to vote in presidential ritories. back home and we are nies given Saturday will If eventually approved, it
elections, denies them cer- The proposal of a binding denied full voting rights help him and other legis- would be held on Nov. 5,
tain federal benefits and plebiscite — a measure and equality. ... We cannot lators revise the proposed 2023.q
allows them one represen- that has not yet been intro-
tative in Congress with lim- duced in committee — has
ited voting powers. frustrated some on an island
The hearing comes two that already has held sev-
weeks after a group of en unilateral, nonbinding
Democratic congress referendums on its political
members including the status, with no overwhelm-
House majority leader and ing majority emerging. The
one Republican proposed last referendum was held in
what would be the first- November 2020, with 53%
ever binding plebiscite that of votes for statehood and
would offer voters in Puerto 47% against, with only a
Rico three options: state- little more than half of reg-
hood, independence or istered voters participating.
independence with free Luis Herrero, a political
association, whose terms consultant, said during the
would be defined following hearing that even if enough
negotiations. people support statehood,
Congress would have to there are not enough votes
accept Puerto Rico as in the Senate to make Puer-
the 51st state if voters so to Rico a state: "Not today,
choose it, but the proposal not yesterday, not tomor-
is not expected to survive in row. Since 1898, Puerto Ri-
the Senate, where Repub- can statehood has been a
licans have long opposed mirage, lip service to score
statehood. cheap political points or
"Everyone, even congress to raise a few dollars for a
people themselves, know campaign."
that the possibilities of this Saturday's hearing comes
becoming law are minimal amid ongoing discontent
and maybe non-existent, with Puerto Rico's current
but it doesn't stop being political status, with the
important," former Puerto U.S. Supreme Court further
Rico governor Aníbal Ace- angering many in April af-
vedo Vilá told The Associ- ter upholding the differen-