GCSM joins in demanding independence of Puerto Rico

Georgetown: The Guyana-Cuba Solidarity Movement (GCSM) is joining with Cuban civil society organizations with the support of regional and international organizations in demanding the independence for the Free Associated State of Puerto Rico. According to President of the GCSM Haleem Khan, Puerto Rico was subjected to 118 years of neo-colonial domination by the United States, a status which prevents it from adopting measures to resolve its difficult economic situation.  He explained that poverty, unemployment, and the local government’s inability to pay off a debt in excess of 7.2 million dollars, are putting strain on the Caribbean island, which decades ago was intended to become the great showcase of the Caribbean, with monopolies based there exploiting the island’s natural resources and importing all the country’s consumer goods. Khan explained that Edwin González Vázquez who is a delegate to the Puerto Rican Mission in Havana, spoke to the Cuban press about the country’s independence struggle and highlighted a growing awareness among citizens, and the island’s government, of the need to achieve genuine sovereignty. “In order to resolve the country’s debt crisis, the Puerto Rican government, led by President Alejandro García Padilla, proposed a bankruptcy law that would allow the island to pay off part of its debt. The proposal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court claiming that, although the island isn’t simply another U.S. state, it is prohibited from borrowing from other financial institutions to solve its debt problem, explained the representative,” the GCSM President explained. He added that the White House administration is seeking to resolve the situation by imposing a Fiscal Supervision Board, which is proposing to repay Wall Street bondholders and predatory hedge funds, by applying austerity measures with cuts to the public service budget; initiatives imposed on other countries which have been met with mass protests. Cuba’s solidarity is reason enough to celebrate the 50th anniversary in 2016 of the Puerto Rican Mission in Havana, with a program of activities which include the issuing of a commemorative postal stamp, and the presentation of a commemorative medal to Fidel, Raúl, and various institutions.