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My Problem with the Last Colony

By Jose Lopez
My Problem with the Last Colony
03.05.2015 LISTEN

I saw the documentary The Last Colony about our colonial relationship with the United States government. I congratulate the Puerto Rican director Juan Agustín Márquez for taking the inactive to get Puerto Rico’s colonialism out of the closet. However, there were 2 very important issues totally excluded from this documentary. I believe they are at the core of the final resolution to our colonial political status.

Juan ends his documentary by saying that, “Ultimately, the United States government has the final word in Puerto Rico decolonization. Until that happens, Puerto Rico will continue to be the last colony.” He then asks viewers to vote for one of 4 political status option using their smart phones.

It doesn’t matter, at this particular stage of decolonization, what Puerto Ricans want as their final political status. That conversation will be had after the United States government gives Puerto Ricans their sovereignty. The US government does not want to do that. That’s why it pretends it is interested in Puerto Rico decolonization by insisting that Puerto Ricans decide first what they want. It does this, because it knows that we will never agree on anything, as long as the US government is in charge of the decolonization process.

That, of course, benefits the US government, because that allows it to keep Puerto Rico as its colony forever. Who really believes that the one that is totally responsible for Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship is interested in freeing her after 117 years of exploitation? Most people don’t know that the US government receives 14 times more money than it invests in Puerto Rico! That also needs to be taken out of the closet!

Puerto Ricans have the right to our self-determination and independence as a matter of international law. This is why the United Nations (UN) holds a hearing every year to discuss Puerto Rico decolonization. This year’s hearing will be on Monday, June 22, 2015.

Few people are aware that in 1960, the UN determined that colonialism is a crime against humanity, because it is a threat to world peace. Since then, it has issued 33 UN resolution asking the US government to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico. It is important to note that the UN has never asked the US government to determine what political options Puerto Ricans prefer. The UN hasn’t, because it knows that Puerto Ricans will decide that after the US governments gives them their sovereignty. Sovereignty is a country’s ability to govern herself without any outside intervention.

What has been the US government’s response to these UN resolutions? It has ignored the democratic will of the international community. That is to say that the US government feels that it is above international law! And this takes me to the other omission concerning who has the final word. We do! I’ll explain.

Suppose tomorrow, we all decided to peacefully protest somewhere in the United States for our right to self-determination. The United States government would, of course after dragging its feet, eventually comply with the 33 UN resolutions. We would undoubtedly need a tsunami of people in order to force the US government to do so.

So the question is, do we want to create this tsunami of people, or do we want to continue to play the US government’s game of divide and conquer that is so well explained in the book, The COINTELPRO Papers.

We must continue to take out of the closet the real Puerto Rican History to make it possible for us to see the way out of our colonialism. US history has shown that the US government will never do that, because those who maintain colonies don’t believe in justice for all!

Juan said that his reason for making this documentary was to foster Puerto Rican decolonization by having the US government talk to the Puerto Rican people. That, however, will not solve the problem. Puerto Rico decolonization will depend on our ability to talk among ourselves in order to demand from the US government our inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

Tag: Talking among ourselves is how to decolonize Puerto Rico.

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