A mockery of democracy

A mockery of democracy
By: Jose Aponte Jun 20, 2007

As the Republican and Democratic candidates for president crisscross the nation in search of support from the voters, they may be surprised to learn that 4 million of their fellow citizens on the island of Puerto Rico are being denied basic American rights.

That includes the right to vote in the presidential race, despite Puerto Rico's contribution to America's efforts abroad. While we respectfully honor the bravery and dedication of our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, most Americans don't realize that per capita, Puerto Rico has lost more sons and daughters in those two countries than most of the 50 states.

Young men and women who, while being given the "right" by our nation to make the ultimate sacrifice, inexplicably still don't have the right to vote for president.

Think about that for a second. U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico are fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan to give the people of those beleaguered nations a sacred right that is being denied them at home. Surely, our nation is better than that.

109 years later . . .

Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory for 109 years, our people have been U.S. citizens for 90 years, and yet we still have to live under the constraints of being second-class citizens.

While our fellow Americans on the mainland drink from the fountain of liberty, we are relegated to the back of the line, thirsting for what should also be ours.

Not only are we denied a vote for president, but we have no voting representation in Congress, and not all constitutional rights apply to Puerto Rico. For basically a century, the U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico have been left twisting in the wind by a Congress unready to act.

It should be noted that it is not just the people of Puerto Rico who are harmed by this grave discrimination.

If you are a citizen of the U.S. from one of the 50 states and decide to move to Puerto Rico, either temporarily or permanently, you immediately lose your right to cast an absentee ballot for president. Ironically, if you move to Russia, China, France or even certain dictatorships, you, under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, retain that right to vote.

As the speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, I am deeply grateful and honored to note that the administration and many members of Congress from both sides of the aisle not only recognize this miscarriage of justice but are working diligently to rectify the problem.

Resolution through self-determination

Clearly, these members and the administration understand that the island's political status must be resolved immediately -- a resolution that can come only through self-determination.
It is well past time that all of Congress unite to abolish what amounts to nothing less than territorial segregation. Democratic and Republican members must remove the metaphorical shackles and allow the people of Puerto Rico to choose statehood or independence.

Some on the mainland, and indeed, even in Puerto Rico, strongly suggest that politicians like me focus only on issues such as economic development, education and security and leave the status dilemma strictly alone.

Not only is this a defeatist attitude, but it flies in the face of what is morally correct for the people of Puerto Rico, as well as the government of the United States.

The reality is, the solutions to many of the problems of Puerto Rico are inextricably tied to resolving the status issue.

Mockery of democracy?

Not only is the decades-old uncertainty a continuing drag on the economy and our morale, but it is one of the reasons that as many as 20,000 people per month leave our island for the mainland.

The people of Puerto Rico were granted citizenship in 1917. Ninety years later, these same U.S. citizens have not been given a federally sponsored referendum to let them decide if they want to seek statehood or become an independent nation.

At what point do we end this mockery of democracy? I hope all members of Congress will stand shoulder to shoulder with their fellow citizens in Puerto Rico and declare, "This ends today. Self-determination is yours."

Jose Aponte is the speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.