What’s Behind the Political Crisis in Puerto Rico That Led to the Resignation of Its Embattled Governor?
Police in San Juan, Puerto Rico, battled protesters calling for the ouster of Governor Ricardo Rosselló on Monday. Rosselló subsequently resigned amid a scandal and a long-simmering economic crisis. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
What Led to the Resignation of Puerto Rico’s Embattled Governor?
BU sociologist Susan Eckstein reflects on the political crisis behind his downfall
Dimaris Traverso’s son has been in a morgue for four weeks, his mother awaiting an autopsy to determine how her 23-year-old died. The morgue in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is short-staffed, the result of government austerity in the face of a debt crisis that led the US territory to declare bankruptcy two years ago.
Traverso, who shared her story and frustration with the New York Times, was among the hundreds of thousands of protesters clogging San Juan streets Monday, requiring police to use tear gas for the first time after two weeks of huge rallies expressing anger over long-standing crises and recent political scandal. Two days later, the turmoil forced the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, who had vowed to ride out unrest until next year, when, he had said, he wouldn’t run for reelection.
But he couldn’t outrun the collapse in his support following revelation earlier this month of app messages in which he and 11 friends and associates—all male—mocked several women, an obese man Rosselló had posed for a photo with, a gay pop star, and poor individuals. They also joked about killing political opponents, including San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto (CAS’84), who has announced she’ll run for governor next year. Facing possible impeachment hearings, Rosselló resigned Wednesday, his departure to become effective August 2. Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez will succeed him.
The governor’s scandal was the match that ignited years-old kindling of anger among Puerto Ricans over the mismanagement of multiple crises by the territorial and federal governments.
Those include the austerity measures Puerto Rico’s government imposed, after years of excessive borrowing brought about a debt crisis and a bankruptcy filing two years ago; a poverty rate closing in on 50 percent; a hemorrhaging of population as job seekers flee to the mainland; and, of course, the natural catastrophe of Hurricane Maria in September 2017.
President Trump has blamed the island’s political class—and feuded harshly with Cruz in particular—for the woes ever since the hurricane. (While Puerto Ricans voice anger at their leaders, even the lieutenant general who led the post-Maria recovery effort disputed the president’s claim that federal aid was sufficient.)
Trump used the protests to both criticize Rosselló and resume fire on Cruz. “The governor has done a terrible job,” he said, “and the mayor of San Juan—she’s horrible. I think she’s just terrible. She’s so bad for her people.” The president added, “I’m the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico.”
Is there any way out for Puerto Ricans, who as residents of a US territory lack a vote in Congress and in presidential elections? BU Today asked Susan Eckstein, a College of Arts & Sciences and Pardee School of Global Studies professor of sociology and international relations. She is an expert on poverty and injustice, in Latin America particularly.
Q&A
With Susan Eckstein
BU Today: Might the protests have been avoided if another person had been governor, or if Rosselló hadn’t been so crass in his app chats?
Eckstein: His “chats” were the straw that broke the camel’s back. The problems are deep and have a long history.
Rosselló has said he wouldn’t resign. Why do you think he reversed course?
He had hoped that in saying he would not run for reelection, that would be enough to stop the protests. That was wishful thinking. Puerto Ricans are angry, and for lots of valid reasons.
What can the island do on its own, if anything, to address the economic problems and poverty it suffers?
Puerto Rico needs support from Washington to create jobs, improve morale, provide needed infrastructure, and to fully recuperate from the hurricane.
What grade would you give the Trump administration in its handling of the crisis?
What grade to Trump? An F. He has been insulting to Puerto Ricans and not provided them the amount of support a wealthy community, with votes to deliver in national elections, would get.
What is the long-term solution—statehood for Puerto Rico? Changing laws like the Jones Act, which allows only US-owned ships to bring goods to the island? All/none of the above?
It is hard to offer a solution. The problems are deep and systemic. The federal government should provide incentives to business to invest, the workforce should get training…
Comments & Discussion
Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.