PUERTO RICO IN HISTORIC COLONIAL OBLIVION
Through time, colonialism has created intolerable and inhumane acts of hopelessness, misery and apprehension into different groups, as well as it has undermined their sense of group identity, values and cultural world views. While frequently advancing as a regime, colonialism has sheltered colonial settlers, invading and occupying land and permanently replacing an entire society, usually through genocide and/or major exploitation of resources.
As of today, Puerto Rico is considered an effective colony. Even though the concept of colonialism is distorted and unclear with the unincorporated territory jurisdiction of the United States, the U.S. Constitution doesn't comply directly or uniformly to the island as a sovereign nation nor a U.S. State. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (in Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is officially a "territory”, lacking sovereignty and full representation in the U.S. federal government. Only about half of American adults know that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, reinforcing a relationship of perpetual discrimination.
As an American territory, the island enjoys various "fundamental rights" of U.S. citizenship but lacks others. Puerto Rico residents cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections and can't elect their own senators and representatives to the U.S. Congress. On the other hand, and in contrast to U.S. states, residents of Puerto Rico are subject to federal income taxes.
But when Hurricane María hit the Island, the economy of Puerto Rico was profoundly impacted. In the months that followed, FEMA (FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, Spanish: Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias) would flood Puerto Rico with supplies as its proof was found on a runway in the old Roosevelt Roads Military Base in Ceiba. More than 20,000 pallets holding millions of bottles of fresh water went to waste in the sun. Huge portions of food supply were incredibly destroyed and after initially blaming local officials for failing to distribute it, as a superficial investigation took place on how everything got to that stage. This new reality enforced a growing movement for Puerto Rico to become a state, especially after Hurricane Maria's disastrous impact on the island.
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The freedom for sustainable energy is a key element for Puerto Rico's energy renewal in which continues to suffer blackouts due to mismanagement and the destruction of the power grid caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Small business, schools and seniors are the most impacted and haven’t been able to recover since then, closing multiple establishments and crippling the local economy.
On July 2024, sectors inside and outside Puerto Rico questioned the appointments of members to the Fiscal Control Board (FOMBPR) announced by the Biden Administration, as it did not forecast changes in the approach of the federal agency currently immersed in the restructuring of the debt of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) under Title III of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, (PROMESA), signed into law by President Barack Obama on June 30, 2016.
The Fiscal Control Board is the entity in charge of overseeing the finances of the government of Puerto Rico and has been imposed by federal authorities to manage Puerto Rico's finances since 2016 as a part of the bankruptcy process in the territory. It is composed of seven members appointed by the president and one member appointed by the governor to allow Puerto Rico to restructure its debt and attain fiscal accountability.
The Biden administration has also just recently announced the reappointment of former bankruptcy judge Arthur González and education leader Betty Rosa. With all of these changes, sectors inside and outside Puerto Rico have questioned members to the Fiscal Control Board and has not foreseen any changes in the approach of the federal agency currently immersed in restructuring the debt of the PREPA under the PROMESA Act. The creation of the Energy Bureau has shown that the energy system after years of political mismanagement bankrupted the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and left the Island with an useless power grid.
On July 22, 2024, the Oversight Board announced that the appointment of Luis A. Ubiñas by President Biden was now effective. Luis Ubiñas, a partner at McKinsey & Company has been accused of having a conflict of interest with his “recommendations” to the Board while helping the federal agency review and evaluate contracts with companies that were clients. Ubiñas served as the president of the Ford Foundation and a former senior partner at McKinsey & Company and was named to a three-year term on the board. Ubiñas was also on the advisory committee for the Export-Import Bank and is president emeritus of the Pan American Development Fund. His involvement in advising both on the Board and the federal agency raises questions about impartiality and the integrity of the decision-making process where individuals move between the public and private sectors, potentially compromising their objectivity and serving their own interests instead of the public's.
According on the Wall Street Journal, McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s largest consulting firms, is also under investigation for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Since it began to manage Puerto Rico's finances, restructure the public debt and re-enter the markets, it also advised the Fiscal Control Board through the PROMESA Act when companies sold opioids. Allegedly the firm made fraudulent claims to programs including Medicare and for its role in advising drug companies on how to boost sales of opioids, according to sources familiar with the matter. This is because, while McKinsey advised the Board, it also helped the federal agency review and evaluate contracts with companies that were its clients.
When the U.S. first attained Puerto Rico, the treaty modeled an authoritarian association. The United States still allowed Puerto Ricans living on the island citizenship, federal benefits, funding and military protection, but has no right to away voting for an U.S. president. An appealing “trade” to the low economic stature of the island (and its fellow territories). However, if citizens from these territories move to the United States, and establish residency, they will be able to register to vote for president, reinforcing exile and strengthening a lack of unity.
The highly contested 2024 election primaries in Puerto Rico were full of
controversies, with numerous discrepancies found in the vote totals.
The elections commission has now taken the step to review its contract
with Dominion Voting Systems, a prominent U.S. electronic voting
company.
The discovery of these discrepancies and the subsequent review of this contract highlight the importance of maintaining a robust and reliable voting system. The elections commission's efforts to rectify the situation can help restore confidence in the electoral process and ensure that future elections in Puerto Rico are conducted smoothly and accurately.
Then, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Workers Union activated a strike vote for the university system resignation of the president of the UPR, Dr. Luis Ferrao Delgado, from signing the stipulation of the agreement by the negotiating committees on August 16, 2024. The stipulation of the agreement was discussed by the Board of the University of Puerto Rico in a meeting held on August 29, 2024, and chaired by its president, CPA Ricardo Dalmau, and then submitted to the Fiscal Oversight Board, without being signed by Dr. Ferrao. Dr. Ferrao didn't sign the stipulation with a favorable recommendation and, in collusion with the Board of the institution, passed the stipulation according to the Fiscal Board without an official positivon. The president of the Retirement Board of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Luis Vicenty Santini, denounced early July 2024 that the university administration stopped paying $38.7 million in employer contributions during the 2023-2024 fiscal year to the Retirement System. The failure in contributions violates the Deed of Trusts that the university raised in 2016 and the PROMESA Law by defunding the UPR Retirement System in a premeditated way.
On Sept. 4 2024, while this strike of the UPR Workers Union was taking place at the gates of the Río Piedras Campus, approximately 300 students were registered to vote for the November 5th elections. Countless challenges were confronted when the electric power service collapsed several times, cancelling the efforts with only 58 students able to enroll the day before. The Campus suffers from the possible impact the economy has reflected in the Island, mirroring the state of emergency for the overall infrastructure in Puerto Rico. Multiple buildings in San Juan suffer from this painful abandonment, as the city feels completely desolated, deprived and agonized.
On June 15, 2016, a total of 375 students from the Río Piedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) were evicted from the Torre Norte residence, a building that was supposed to be remodeled with the intention of modernize the campus. With no safe housing to be able to study close to the institution, is still being questioned on how it is that the university administration wants an open institution without the opportunity to study and live in it.
The funds obligated by FEMA for the execution of the Torre Norte
project amount to $14.6 million and the UPR's insurance contribution is
supposed to be $5 million as a result of the severe damage caused by the
impact of Hurricane Maria. The House Finance Committee (La Comisión de Hacienda de la Cámara de Representante)
passed a resolution that assigned $18.8 million to the University of
Puerto Rico to assure the corresponding funds necessary for the
construction and rehabilitation of the Torre Norte building on the Río
Piedras Campus. However, no remodeling efforts can be identified .
Lands designated for sports and recreation in Rio Piedras poorest communities are now wagons that school children and young people. This absurd idea is rather a continuation of the enforced corruption, whitewashing agenda and social marginalization. The idea of using “trailers” began after funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were allocated to rebuild schools. This was a temporary idea which the Teachers Association had refused, since they had to evaluate if the space was adequate according to the parameters of what they consider a modular classroom.
The closure of schools in Puerto Rico to reduce costs has been a devastating element for the future of the Academy and the training of professionals on the Island. An ill effect of the suspension of education in public schools has created a massive displacement of thousands of young students and professional teachers that directly influenced the daily routines of families and entire communities. However, the case of the abandoned Gerardo Sellés Solá school is one that manifests the insistence of perpetuating the discriminatory system of colonialism.
This is located on Avenida 65 Infantería in Río Piedras and only what was once a school remains. Currently, these ruins are located in front of the private school Leap Steam+, replacing what was previously the Parque Atlético Asociación Rescate Deportivo, in front of the Monte Hatillo residential area. The interesting thing about this case is that this private school is operating with private wagons from the Dueñas Company and they are brazenly located on the grounds of a baseball park that was intended for the enjoyment of the residents of that community. Surrounded by the public housing developments Monte Hatillo, Monte Park, the Berwing buildings and the Parcelas Falú, this “school-facility” is a crime against the students of that area.
In the first weeks of June 2023, the high crime rate unleashed a wave of murders in the area of 65 Infantería, which has literally become 'no man's land'. The high illegal immigration has allowed to not realize what is really happening with the displacement of residents of this town. The abandonment has allowed history to repeat itself and foreign invasions to be accepted as part of a toxic and degrading manifestation of a new style of daily life.
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Puerto Rico manifests the idealism of a colony in a big lie, with the Island governed by people who do not integrate into the country. That is why the most powerful abuse of power occurs, placing these students in facilities similar to a concentration camp. The new modality after all the scandals in which the Department of Education acts is to exercise more of its painful imposition to remind all citizens that locals are not worthy of participating collectively for the improvement of their country.
Historically speaking, people that suffered colonialism have been from the views and perspectives of the dominant culture, creating unreal and unimaginable critical reflections about their oral histories, ancestral knowledges, collective memories of family, community narratives, and other history.
RELATED VIDEOS
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SOURCES
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