Puerto Rico is a Colony

The Puerto Rican Independence Party bases its struggle in favor of the independence of Puerto Rico on the conviction that we continue to be a colony of the United States, thus being denied the right to our freedom and sovereignty. From the moment the American invasion forces, directed by General Nelson A. Miles, disembarked in Puerto Rico in 1898, the foundations of our relationship with the United States were laid. The famous speech that the General gave when he arrived finishes with statements that hold true even till this day:

"...and to bestow upon you the immunities and blessings of the liberal institutions of our government.. to give to all within the naval control of its military and forces the advantages and blessings of the enlightened civilization."[ 1 ]

Everything would be under the control of the military and naval forces of the United States. Since then, our relations with the American metropolis have had some cosmetic changes that only have to do with the administration of the colony and the organization of the internal government, but never has it granted Puerto Ricans the total control of their lives and destiny. Sovereign powers have never been transferred to us in order to be able to decide in all those areas that affect the collective life of our nation.

It has recently been demonstrated that the Puerto Ricans do not have any authority to decide on vital areas, for example, the use of Vieques by the naval and military forces of the United States as a bombing and practice range. We have had to fight against all odds, even going to jail, to call the attention of the civil government of the United States, its president, and its congressmen, so that they can exert their authority and solve a situation that is fundamentally unjust. We have had to battle and struggle to place on the balance of power our interests as a nation against the interests of the metropolis, represented just as in 1898 by the Navy and military of the United States. To the date of this writing there has not been the most minimum show of will on the part of the United States government to satisfy the demands of the Puerto Rican people.  (On May 1, 2003 the US Navy ceased operations in Vieques.  The land used as a target range was transferred to US Department of the Interior under the Fish and Wildlife agency.  As of this update, environmental clean up activities are slowly being performed by the Navy.  The Navy also ceased operations on the nearby Roosevelt Roads Naval Base at Ceiba.  Environmental remediation is also on its way there.  US Navy has announced its intention of selling the land to private investors instead of returning it to the Puerto Rican Government.)

We asked ourselves if these are the typical circumstances in which sovereign countries solve their differences. The answer is obvious. It cannot be, unless they are enemies. Then, we must conclude that Puerto Rico is totally subordinated to the power, to the sovereignty, to the control of the United States without its consent.

In the second half of the XX century, the United Nations set out to eliminate colonialism in the world. Thus we saw rise to the community of free nations, many states that were less developed than Puerto Rico. No one that respects him or herself would be able to justify colonialism with the beaten arguments of political immaturity or economic insufficiency. In all international circles, the opinion that has been accepted is that while colonialism prevents the process of political maturity for self-government and restrains the capacity of a nation to plan and fix its own goals of development, independence develops a new national spirit and opens new possibilities for the creative capacity of peoples and nations.

Resolution 1514-XV of the United Nations that was approved on December 14, 1960 states that: "continuation of colonialism prevents the development of international economic cooperation and obstructs the social, cultural and economic development of the dependent peoples." It also states that: "lack of preparation in the political, economic, social and educative order will not serve as pretext to delay independence."

Trying to illustrate what would Puerto Rico be under independence is difficult due to the impossibility in anticipating all the circumstances that can occur once obtained. Therefore, it is difficult to make a detailed and truthful analysis and prediction of benefits, costs, and possibilities under independence. Independence supposes an economic reconstruction with new dimensions and possibilities that include complex and unpredictable events such as future international economic relations. The right of nations and peoples to independence is inalienable.

In the past, different people have described the relations between Puerto Rico and the United States in many different forms. Some have said that democratic deficiencies exist. Others call it by its crude name: the colony. In both cases, there are limitations and lack of powers that do not enable to us to develop as a nation. Let us see some of these limitations as they are mentioned and explained by Dr. Antonio J. González:

MILITARY SERVICE

 At the time in which Dr. González gave his dissertation (1966), there existed obligatory military service in the United States. Under this disposition and imposed US citizenship in 1917, the children of Puerto Rico have had to go and participate in the wars that the United States has declared on other countries. Due to this fact, Puerto Ricans have fought in the two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Kosovo, and presently, in Afghanistan. Later, the American government arranged that their army be made up of volunteers and since then, only those Puerto Ricans who chose to serve, would. The important thing is that the power to change this law resides with the US government, not in Puerto Rico. We do not have an option. In the future, if the United States needs to reestablish obligatory military service, Puerto Ricans, who do not participate in diplomatic discussions, nor in the processing of US foreign policy, would have to return to fight US wars against their will.

EMIGRATION REGULATION

All nations need to regulate migratory movements for social reasons, security reasons, and economic reasons. The absolute authority in the matters of emigration to Puerto Rico rests with the federal government. By virtue of the previously stated, Puerto Rico must admit all persons that the United States authorizes to reside in its territory, including colonies. In such a situation, we lose control over any measure of economic protection that could be established for ourselves and new emigrants.

COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Puerto Rico does not have the authority to regulate affairs and policies related to the establishment of communication systems with the outside world. The United States government is the one who has this authority in its exclusive form. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the agency that is authorized to grant and to cancel licenses regarding the establishment and operation of television and radio stations on the island. Even the Puerto Rican government, supposedly self-governing, must submit itself under the authority of this agency in order to operate even a public station.

FOREIGN TRADE

The government of Puerto Rico lacks legal personality and therefore is unable to make commercial treaties and pacts with the rest of the world. The commerce which we can establish with other countries must be via the United States, its customs, and subject to the conditions of the international treaties that the United States have agreed to, of which Puerto Rico has had no participation or voice. Obviously, Puerto Rico cannot open a niche in the world markets, nor can it establish and implement plans of economic development oriented to foreign trade due to this limitation. In this era of free trade and economic liberalization, Puerto Rico is essentially, because of its continued colonial subordination, a captive market of the United States.

MARITIME TRANSPORT

One of the dispositions of the Foraker Act of 1900 that is still effective is US maritime laws. These laws mandate that the traffic of all merchandise between ports within US territory must be transported in ships of the American merchant marine. Puerto Rico is obligated to fulfill this disposition while it cannot benefit from the lower costs of ships with foreign matriculation. In this way, the products that arrive and leave the island are made more expensive due to the excessive costs of transportation. It is estimated that in 1999, the costs added to merchandise, due to the transportation costs of the American merchant marine, was over $500 million.[ 2 ]

FORCED COMMON MARKET

The political incapacity of the Puerto Rican government to control and manage international trade in accordance with the objectives of economic development, the absence of powers to regulate imports and exports by means of tariff policy, and its incapacity to be able to organize its own merchant marine are limitations of legal order that impose on Puerto Rico a forced common market with the United States. Although Puerto Rican products enter duty free into the US market, US products also enter Puerto Rico free of customs controls. Nevertheless, the United States can establish limits and restrictions to the market of our products in their territory. The volume of sales of US imported products is greater than the volume of our exports; the net balance has been always in favor of the United States. In 1999, Puerto Rico exported goods and services at a value of $43.335 million, whereas our purchases of imported goods and services were of $59.292 million.[3]s. When considering Puerto Rico-US economic relations, one should remember the imperial maxim that colonies exist for the benefit of the metropolis.

WAGES

In Puerto Rico, the Federal Minimum Wage law and its dispositions govern. The Puerto Rican government cannot implement a wage policy for all the economic sectors in harmony with its development plans.

MONETARY SYSTEM

Puerto Rico is limited in its power to establish a monetary and banking policy in tune with its policy of economic development. We do not have the power of regulating the monetary supply in accordance with economic oscillations. This control is necessary to regulate the pressures of inflation that slow down economic growth.

In addition to the previous ones, there are other powers that I will mention that demonstrate the power of the Congress of the United States over its Puerto Rican colony. These are: the power of forced expropriation, the power of declaration of war, the power over aviation and fleets, power over the airspace, power over nationality and citizenship, power over bankruptcy, power over crimes punished by federal laws and the punishment to such, power over maritime limits and coast guard, power to determine the constitutionality of the laws and procedures, the power over patents and more.[ 4 ]

We have only mentioned some of the limitations that Puerto Rico has and that are imposed or held by its relation of political subordination to the United States. The previously described conditions were established at the beginning of American domination and modified according to the authority that resides in the US Congress to rule and to govern unilaterally the territories that belong to that country. These are not clauses negotiated between Puerto Rico and the United States. These are clauses that have their roots in the statutory laws that the Congress of the United States approved for Puerto Rico as of 1900 and which remain in vigor even today.  Before 1952, when the actual Commonwealth was established, Puerto Rico was subject to the powers of US Congress under Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution, known as the territorial clause, under which Congress can dispose of and rule over US possessions. After 1952, with the so called commonwealth constitution, nothing changed. Puerto Rico is still a non-incorporated territory of United States and is still ruled by Congress under the territorial clause. This was confirmed on December, 2005 on an official document presented to the President by a Task Force Committee named by President Clinton on 2000 and continued under President George W. Bush.

The fact that Puerto Rico must accept the dispositions of laws imposed by another country, without its consent, clearly demonstrates the colonial character of our relationship with the United States. In Puerto Rico, this is called "Estado Libre Asociado"(Free Associated State or Commonwealth). In international law, it is called "colony".[ 5 ] In a world in which the world's most powerful (the United States) owns the world's oldest colony (Puerto Rico), stand up for freedom, liberty, and democracy. Say NO to Colonialism, Exploitation, and Occupation! Support Puerto Rican Independence and Sovereignty!

DARE TO BE FREE !