Puerto Rico’s June 26-July 2, 2017 political week in tweets

by Jul 3, 2017News Week in Tweets0 comments

Former House leader arrested for Corruption charges

Jaime Perelló Borrás, former politician of Puerto Rican Popular Democratic Party was recently arrested for corruption charges. Ostensibly, he hasn’t reported campaign donations to the authorities. While he was bailed out for $4,500, his lawyer affirms he is innocent, and his court hearing is set to be in August.

 

Bankruptcy situation in Puerto Rico ostensibly worsening

There have been grim feelings over the Puerto Rican government’s refusal of a $450 million loan for the public electrical power corporation. Many like CEO Bill Fallon believes that “Prepa and the Rosselló administration have rejected the only lifeline available on the island”,  or like Republican Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah that this decision raises more question on the future economic situation of Puerto Rico, and consequently its political status too.

 

Rosselló blames Colonialism for the Territory’s current economic crisis

To the many people who are skeptical about Puerto Rican governor Rosseló’s approach and priorities concerning  the push for statehood, while having to deal with a bankruptcy situation, he responded back by saying: “We recognize there is a debt problem, we’re dealing with it. But trying to say, ‘Hey guys, work on that and come back to us,’ is kind of ignoring the root cause of the problem, which is colonialism.

 

Jennifer González-Colón scolding Cuba and Venezuela’s delegates

When time came to assess the decolonization of Puerto Rico, through the UN committee, Cuba and Venezuela’s delegates were amongst those who drew concern over the June 11 referendum. Rep. Jennifer González-Colón went on a rampage and proceeded to reprimand the two delegates by saying “I do not recognize the Cuban and Venezuelan delegations at the UN any moral authority to intervene in the Puerto Rico political debate, never mind evaluating the democratic process of last June 11 in our Island […] if and when truly free and democratic elections are held in Cuba, and when human rights are respected in Venezuela and Maduro’s tyrannical abuse of his people ends, maybe then maybe they could have the moral standing to talk about electoral results in Puerto Rico”.

 

Children in Puerto Rico are the ones suffering from the negative outcomes

Due to many Puerto Rican families leaving the Island due to the economy, very little people are left to enroll in schools. The difference goes as far as 146 students, as opposed to 250 in the last years. Consequently, many are forced to close. This decision comes from the Oversight Board wanting to close down about 300 schools to save money, and is, and will be enforced by the secretary of Education of Puerto Rico, Julia Keleher.