Longtime pro-statehood legislator Aponte reacts
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Resident commissioner-elect Pablo José Hernández Rivera stated in a Hill opinion piece this week that his primary focus will be to set aside the quest for statehood for Puerto Rico in favor of economic advancement.
“For the first time since 2000, residents of Puerto Rico have chosen a resident commissioner (non-voting delegate) to Congress who is against Puerto Rico statehood and believes we should prioritize other issues. That’s me,” he expressed in the editorial.
“Puerto Ricans are simply exhausted from the unproductive status discussions,” he went on. “In my campaign, I committed to focusing more on developing new strategies for the island’s economic growth, ensuring equitable treatment in federal programs, and expediting federal funds for the reconstruction of the electrical grid, rather than wasting time on the political status of Puerto Rico. The people heard me and concurred.”
In the contest for resident commissioner, the pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party triumphed by the widest margin since 1964. As noted by the STAR in its November 7 edition, Hernández Rivera reiterated that his mission is to set statehood aside and prioritize economic development.
While his predecessor, now governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party and a Republican, concurs with Hernández Rivera on the critical necessity for economic development, she maintains that statehood emerged victorious in a recent nonbinding status referendum, and as such, she will advocate for that path.
“Let’s clarify this so-called ‘mandate’ with clear facts. Four years prior, 52 percent of the Puerto Rican electorate opted for statehood in a straightforward yes-or-no vote. This year, that figure fell to 47 percent when accounting for blank or invalid ballots cast by thousands in opposition to the exclusion of the current commonwealth status or the nonbinding nature of the referendum. Therefore, support for statehood has dipped below 50 percent,” Hernández Rivera wrote in the Hill.
“The absence of a distinct mandate, dwindling support, and Republican resistance to statehood in Washington should clearly halt any discussions on the subject,” he added. “Rather, we must shift our focus toward a more effective agenda that addresses the island’s genuine priorities and issues, and how the island can contribute to the mainland, rather than remain dependent.”
One established statehood advocate was not convinced. In a press statement released Wednesday, New Progressive Party Rep. José Aponte Hernández urged Hernández Rivera to recognize the support for statehood evident in the Election Day status consultation and to act in Congress to fulfill the will of the Puerto Rican populace.
“The elected Resident Commissioner is faced with an electoral mandate favoring the inclusion of Puerto Rico as a state within the union,” Aponte stated in the release. “Currently, we anticipate that counting early votes will show increased support; 57 percent of voters have freely and democratically selected statehood in the status consultation. That reflects a significant majority of voters. Mr. Hernández must not overlook that result, as he seems inclined to do; instead, he must act on it.”
“Recently, the newly elected Resident Commissioner has made several declarations indicating that statehood is not on his ‘agenda’ in Congress, despite it being on the ballot and having garnered the majority of votes, which reflects the mandate from the people in a democracy,” the veteran legislator added. “His agenda must focus on implementing the public policy desired by the People, which is statehood. The People do not wish to revert to the past, nor do they desire to live as a colony, as Hernández aims for with his desire to return us to the ‘50s and ‘60s.”
Aponte mentioned that he will engage with the leadership of the new Congress to affirm the statehood victory in the recent status consultation conducted under U.S. House Resolution 8393, commonly referred to as the “Puerto Rico Admission Act,” a bipartisan initiative approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. In the current Congress, the measure was introduced in the House as HR 2757, boasting 100 co-authors from both Democrats and Republicans. A parallel bill in the U.S. Senate has garnered support from 27 senators.
“Members of Congress from both national parties will understand that Puerto Rico has chosen to seek admission as a state within the union with a marked majority,” Aponte declared. “That message will resonate even if the incoming Resident Commissioner prefers to refrain from discussing it.”
