Puerto Rican Governor Calls for Equality

The Honorable Gov. Luis G. Fortuño (SFS ’82), the ninth and current governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, spoke in a forum on “The Presence of Puerto Rico in U.S. Politics” on Monday.

The forum, sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies in cooperation with Georgetown Unidos, the Latin American Students Association and The Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association, welcomed the governor, who was previously elected resident commissioner in the 2004 general elections. The resident commissioner is the non-voting member from Puerto Rico elected every four years to the House of Representatives.

Before becoming an attorney and later a governor, Fortuño served as an intern during college at the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in D.C.

Fortuño is a member of the U.S. Republican Party and the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico, the party that holds the majority in Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives and Senate. The New Progressive Party also advocates the Commonwealth’s full statehood in the United States.

During his speech, Fortuño spoke on Puerto Ricans’ important role in the contiguous United States, emphasizing the significant role they play in forging the mainland’s future. He added that Puerto Ricans are the second-largest subgroup in the Latin American population and that more Puerto Ricans live on the mainland than on the island.

The Constitution of the Commonwealth provides that the territory can determine its territorial status with the United States through Commonwealth plebiscites, which allow Puerto Rican citizens to vote on three options: independence, statehood or territorial status.

Furthermore, although Puerto Rican citizens are able to vote in the U.S. presidential election, they do not have a voting member in Congress.

“The framers never wanted some citizens to be deprived of what others enjoy,” the Governor said on Puerto Rico’s territorial status. “There cannot be [a] goal other than that of equality.”

In May of this year, Pedro Pierluisi, the current resident commissioner of the island introduced the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009 to the U.S. House of Representatives; if passed, this bill would call for an election to decide whether or not to retain Puerto Rico’s current territorial status. If the referendum’s votes signal a majority in favor of change, another plebiscite would be instituted for a vote on the three options.

The governor focused on the recession and the U.S.’s response to it. Puerto Rico has not received an official visit from a sitting U.S. president since John F. Kennedy visited the island in 1962, yet Puerto Rico has received approximately $1.5 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.

Focusing on Puerto Ricans’ accomplishments, the governor spoke of Puerto Rico as the provider of most of the nation’s engineers, and one of the largest high-tech manufacturing suppliers in the United States. He also called Puerto Rico a key facilitator of trade and business transactions throughout America.

“I have a vision of Puerto Rico, and for the matter of America, where the citizens are not separate,” Fortuño said. “I hope you well help me fight for it.”