CPUSA view: Puerto Rico has right to self-determination

Statement of the Communist Party USA

This article was reprinted from the July 25, 1998 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

The following is a statement of the Communist Party USA on the 100th anniversary of the invasion of Puerto Rico.

One hundred years ago, the ruling class of the United States hailed the 1900s as the "American Century," referring to belief in their imperialist destiny. And, in 1898, the Spanish-American War gave the U.S. the opportunity to grab Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines, thus becoming a colonial power.

Today when direct colonialism has been repudiated in theory by the whole world, and eliminated in fact by almost every country, the U.S. still has a colony - Puerto Rico.

The Communist Party USA has always stood for the independence of this Caribbean nation, whose language, culture and history have remained distinct and continued to develop despite 100 years of U.S. colonialism's attempt to destroy it.

As we celebrate the centennial of the great African American Communist, Paul Robeson, we remember his condemnation of U.S. imperialism. Robeson always noted the cause of Puerto Rican freedom and the need to struggle against "our own imperialists," that "our strength and aid must reach our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico."

The CPUSA salutes the Puerto Rican people, who against tremendous odds have continued to struggle against U.S. imperialism, against the rule of the huge U.S. corporations which have for the last century raked in huge profits from Puerto Rican workers; against the U.S. military which uses 13 percent of Puerto Rican land; against the Navy which uses the beautiful island of Vieques, a part of Puerto Rico, for bombing practice and has thus destroyed its economy.

A fitting symbol of the tenacity of the Puerto Rican people's national identity is the militant national strike against the privatization of the Puerto Rican Telephone Company (PRTC), which earlier this month brought over a half million people onto the streets in defense of the people's national property.

On the 100th anniversary of the takeover of Puerto Rico by the U.S., the people are saying no to this attempted takeover by the U.S. multinational corporation, GTE. They are saying no to the anti-national forces in Puerto Rico in their attempt to annex the island nation to the United States.

The Puerto Rican people's national consciousness has shown itself in the fight against the policies of the neo-liberal annexationist governor, Pedro Rosello, in various demonstrations of over 100,000 participants in this nation of 3.8 million people.

The emigration from colonial countries which imperialism produces has brought millions of Puerto Ricans to the U.S., where they are an important part of the working class. Puerto Rican workers were on the UPS picket lines, are among the UAW strikers at GM, are members of the United Steelworkers and are involved in organizing drives in many industries.

Puerto Ricans have always seen the need to join and be part of our labor movement. They are part of a working class movement which is changing in very important ways, focusing on organizing, on labor-community unity and on promoting a labor movement with leadership, at all levels, from all its constituent parts. The support of the U.S. labor movement for the strikers at the PRTC is a necessary example of anti-imperialist solidarity, which the Communist Party is pledged to help build.

Puerto Ricans have fought attempts to make English the official language in their Spanish-speaking country. This has relevance here in the U.S. where the right wing has launched "English only" campaigns in a number of states.

The root of all of these efforts is racism and great nation chauvinism: in the U.S., aimed at dividing the working class, and, in Puerto Rico, aimed at further pushing towards assimilation and loss of national identity and dignity.

The issue of the status of Puerto Rico is important not simply for the Puerto Rican people, but for all of the world's peoples, for the principle that each people has the democratic right to sovereignty, to self-determination. It is an important struggle because the problems that Puerto Rico faces - unemployment, poverty, hunger - have been produced by U.S. imperialism, and ultimately, as in the United States, will be solved by socialism.

We firmly believe that the transfer of all power into the hands of the Puerto Rican people is an indispensable requirement for the struggle for democracy and socialism in Puerto Rico.

Viva Puerto Rico libre!