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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	828
Proposal	2016 Platform Amendment Proposal: Puerto Rican Independence
Presenter	Platform Committee, Sponsored by Latinx Caucus and Green Party of New Jersey
Floor Manager	Jan Martell
Phase	Closed
Discussion	05/02/2016 - 05/15/2016
Voting	05/16/2016 - 05/22/2016
Result	Adopted
Presens Quorum	32 0.6666
Consens Quorum	46 0.6666 of Yes and No Votes

Background

None

Proposal

To amend Chapter I Democracy, Part 6, Puerto Rican Independence to read:

In 1898, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States and has been held by the U.S. in the form of a colony ever since. In response to international pressure, in 1952, the U.S. established the ÒFree Associated StateÓ status for Puerto Rico but continued to claim that Puerto Rico belongs to, yet is not a part of, the United States. The root of the crisis is the colonial status of Puerto Rico as echoed in the UN Decolonization committee resolution on Puerto Rico adopted on June 22, 2015 which states ñthe condition of political subordination prevents Puerto Rico from taking sovereign decisions to attend to its serious economic and social problems including unemployment, marginalization and poverty (Olga Sanabria Davila, Crisis and Colonialism in Puerto Rico, 10/26/15).

Greens support the right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence in conformity with United Nations Resolution 1514(XV) of 1960. Greens call for the release of all Puerto Rican political prisoners, such as Oscar Lopez Rivera, who has been held in U.S. prisons since 1981.

Greens call for the appropriate environmental clean-up and sustainable development of Vieques, the island that was used as a firing range by the U.S. military. Greens oppose recruitment of the youth of Puerto Rico into the U.S. armed forces and their deployment to U.S. wars abroad, and denounce recruitment attempts at educational institutions.

Further, Greens recognize that:

- Puerto RicoÕs debt is unpayable.

- That in the last 20 years alone, foreign corporations operating in Puerto Rico have reaped over 600 billion dollars in tax free profits, 10 per cent of which would suffice to pay its current otherwise unpayable debt.

- Austerity measures like a ÒFinancial Control Authority,Ó which have proven to exacerbate economic suffering and strip away democratic rights to self-determination, must be opposed.

- The social cost of increasing the sales tax, of reducing workersÕ pay, education and health services, of eliminating labor rights gained and the dismantling of the retirement system among other recessionary measures, are a detriment to the quality of life of the people of Puerto Rico and to the strategic development of the countryÕs economy.

Thus, these measures are not a solution.

The present fiscal and economic crisis in Puerto Rico is largely due to the United StatesÕ colonial power and exploitation in Puerto Rico. Further, although Puerto Rico is a tropical island country seriously being affected by climate change, it is powerless to participate in initiatives and international negotiations to control and mitigate climate change and global warming.

Conclusion

As as a colony of the United States, Puerto RicoÕs position of political subordination cuts across the problem and independence would break the stalemate and create the possibilities of a solution.

Commitment to grassroots democracy is totally consistent with support for the decolonization of Puerto Rico as colonialism is contrary to democracy. For the country ruled, democracy is non-existent where one country rules over another, even if there are elections every four years to elect local authorities.

Taking into account that in Puerto Rico the United States controls commerce, international relations, immigration, monetary issues, communications, postal matters, defense, labor relations, and others, to truly support democracy in Puerto Rico, its decolonization has to be supported as the first step for the Puerto Rican people to live in a democracy.

Current language:Ê
In 1898, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States and has been held by the U.S. in the form of a colony ever since. In response to international pressure, in 1952, the U.S. established the ÒFree Associated StateÓ status for Puerto Rico but continued to claim that Puerto Rico belongs to, yet is not a part of, the United States. a. Greens support the right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence in conformity with United Nations Resolution 1514(XV) of 1960, the release of all Puerto Rican political prisoners being held in U.S. prisons, and call for the appropriate environmental clean-up and sustainable development of Vieques and Culebra, islands that were used as firing ranges by the U.S. military. We oppose recruitment of the youth of Puerto Rico into the U.S. armed forces and their deployment to U.S. wars abroad.

Resources

Approval of this proposal will amend the 2016 Draft Platform, to be presented for approval at the 2016 Presidential Nominating Convention.

References

CONTACT:
Platform Committee
Bruce Hinkforth, co-chair, bhinkforth@milwpc.com, 262-569-1370
Budd Dickinson, co-chair, budd.dickinson@gmail.com, 650-773-0438
Andrea MŽrida Co-chair, GPUS and Latinx Caucus, andreamerida@gmail.com
Lora Friedenthal Chair, Green Party of New Jersey, gpnjchair@gmail.com

Co-authors:
Saulo Col—n, Green Party of Connecticut
Hector L—pez, Green Party of New York
Andrea MŽrida, Green Party of Colorado
Olga Sanabria D‡vila, representative of the Puerto Rican committee of the United Nations

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