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WORLD NEWSThursday 21 January 2016
US Treasury Sec: Violent protests
for new elections
Puerto Rico needs congressional economic action continue in Haiti
DANICA COTO its debt and provide it with be available soon, but ticipated revenues, officials DAVID McFADDEN
Associated Press equal treatment under fed- Gov. Garcia Padilla said said this week.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico eral programs. the statements will not re- The government said the Associated Press
(AP) — U.S. Treasury Secre- “Over the years, Congress veal anything new. deficit is now projected to
tary Jacob Lew stressed on has a history of trying to pro- Puerto Rico already has grow from $14 billion to $16 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
Wednesday during a visit vide Puerto Rico with ‘spe- defaulted on several bond billion over the next five
to Puerto Rico that con- cial’ treatment, and these payments and warned it years due to the U.S. terri- (AP) —Opposition protest-
gressional action is the only efforts, whether well-inten- does not have the money tory’s worsening economic
solution to pulling the U.S. ers erected burning road-
territory out of its worsening
economic crisis. blocks and shattered win-
He called on Congress to
approve a restructuring dows in a section of Haiti’s
mechanism to help the is-
land deal with its $72 billion capital this week to press
public debt. He also said
some kind of oversight au- for new elections less than
thority that respects Puerto
Rico’s system of self-gov- a week before a Jan. 24
ernment is needed.
“Now is the time to act, and presidential and legislative
I’m here to further that ef-
fort,” Lew said after meet- runoff.
ing with Gov. Alejandro
Garcia Padilla. “It would A few thousand people
be a mistake for anyone to
think there’s a plan B that joined the demonstra-
comes anywhere near to
being as effective.” tion in downtown Port-au-
His trip comes just days be-
fore members of the U.S. Prince, marching through
House Subcommittee on
Insular Affairs are sched- narrow streets and oc-
uled to discuss creating an
authority to oversee Puerto casionally chanting: “The
Rico’s finances.
Republicans have been revolution has started, get
pushing for a federal fiscal
control board similar to one your gun ready.” Young
that helped guide the Dis-
trict of Columbia through men threw rocks, smashing
a fiscal crisis two decades
ago. But some Puerto Rico windshields and the win-
officials have balked at
the idea of the federal dows of a bank. They also
government having such
oversight. Pedro Pierluisi, overturned vendors’ stalls
Puerto Rico’s representa-
tive in Congress, said that to block law enforcement
he expected a legislative
package to be unveiled vehicles.
after next week’s hearing.
However, he stressed that Associated Press journalists
the package has to give
Puerto Rico the authority saw one injured protester
to restructure a portion of
with what appeared to be
a bullet wound. Demon-
strators said a police officer
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew speaks during a press conference at the Vanderbilt hotel in San shot him in the leg, but the
Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. Lew traveled to Puerto Rico to meet with govern-
ment officials. He urged Congress to pass legislation soon, saying the territory is “in the midst of an details were unclear. At
economic collapse.” The White House says a federal bailout is not under consideration.
least one law enforcer was
(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
wounded by a hurled rock
that hit his head.
tioned or ill-intentioned, al- to make upcoming pay- crisis. Officials also told re- Campaigning for Haiti’s
most always end up harm- ments. Lew noted that up porters during a confer-
ing Puerto Rico,” he said. to 3,000 Puerto Ricans are ence call that they expect presidential runoff kicked
“My constituents are not leaving the island every revenue to fall by $1.7 bil-
laboratory rats upon whom week for the U.S. mainland lion over the same period. off earlier this month, but
the federal government because of nearly a de- The government also ex-
should be undertaking pol- cade of economic stag- tended projections within only government-backed
icy experiments.” Repub- nation and said action is the five-year plan by an-
lican U.S. House Speaker needed soon. other five years at the re- candidate Jovenel Moise
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has “This is not a case of waiting quest of creditors, noting
promised that Congress will help,” he said. “All wait- that the deficit could grow is participating. Opposition
would come up with “a re- ing does is make the pro- to $24 billion by 2025.
sponsible solution” for Puer- cess more complicated, The announcement comes presidential candidate
to Rico’s debt problems this messier and more costly.” as Puerto Rico seeks access
year. Republican leaders Puerto Rico is revising a fis- to a bankruptcy mecha- Jude Celestin is boycot-
have demanded to see cal and economic reform nism as it struggles with
the territory’s audited finan- plan to reflect a jump in $72 billion in public debt ting the Jan. 24 vote, ar-
cial statements. the island’s projected defi- that the governor has said
Local officials say they will cit and steep drop in an- is unpayable and needs guing he has no chance
restructuring.q
to win because the deck
is stacked against him by
Haiti’s electoral machinery
and interference by the in-
ternational community.
Celestin leads an oppo-
sition alliance alleging
“massive fraud” in favor of
Moise, outgoing President
Michel Martelly’s chosen
Guyana closes sugar factory as industry declines successor. Moise won near-
ly 33 percent of the vote in
GEORGETOWN, Guyana that would make little fi- tates, were subsidizing the could not now be guaran- the disputed Oct. 25 first
(AP) — A state-owned sug- nancial sense given the rest and that the sector teed,” he said.
ar factory in Guyana that outlook for the industry in overall was in “dire” shape, Opposition legislator and round that was endorsed
had operated at a loss for Guyana and throughout requiring at least $60 million sugar union leader Komal
years has been ordered the world, Agriculture Min- from the government this Chand condemned the by international monitors.
shut down as the govern- ister Noel Holder said ear- year alone. “The practice announcement Tuesday
ment seeks to scale back lier this week. Holder said of diverting scarce funds and said it would leave Ernest Casseus, an unem-
support for one of the coun- the decision came as part from the good estates to about 1,500 out of work.
try’s leading industries. of a broader review of the keep the poor performers The closure of the factory ployed 57-year-old from a
The factory in Wales could industry that concluded in operation can no longer west of the capital leaves
only continue to operate that better-performing fac- be tolerated as the sur- five remaining sugar facto- neighborhood of concrete
with significant investment tories, known locally as es- vivability of these estates ries in Guyana.q
shacks and trash-strewn
streets, insisted that the run-
off had to be postponed to
protect democracy in the
nation that has endured
coups and dictatorships for
most of its history.q
