Puerto Rican Independence Party

Puerto Rican Independence Party
Leader	Rubén Berríos Martínez
Founded	October, 1946
Headquarters	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Ideology	National Liberation Movement, Social liberalism, Social democracy, Pan-Latin Americanism
International affiliation	Socialist International (SI)
Colours	Green & White
Website
Official Website of the Puerto Rican Independence Party

The Puerto Rican Independence Party (Spanish: Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. It is one of the three main Political Parties in Puerto Rico and second oldest among all registered parties.

Those who follow the PIP ideology are usually called independentistas, pipiolos, or sometimes just pro-independence activists in the anglosphere .

History

The party began as the electoral wing of the Puerto Rican pro-independence movement. It is the largest of the independence parties, and the only one that is on the ballot during elections (other candidates must be added in by hand).

Foundation

The party was founded in 1946 by Gilberto Concepción de Gracia (deceased in 1968). [1] He felt the independence movement had been "betrayed" by the Partido Popular Democrático, whose ultimate goal had originally been independence.

1970s

In 1971, the newly elected PIP governor candidate, Rubén Berríos, then 31, led a protest against the U.S. Navy in Culebra. At that time, he was found guilty of trespassing federal lands and incarcerated for three months at Fox River State Penitentiary (see also: Navy-Culebra protests).

1990s

In 1999, PIP leaders, especially Rubén Berríos, became involved in the Navy-Vieques protests started by many citizens of Vieques against the presence of the U.S. military in the island-municipality (see also: Cause of Vieques).

2004 Election

During the 2004 elections, the PIP was in serious danger of disappearing, obtaining only 2.4% of the popular vote (According to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico electoral laws, a party that receives less that 3% of the vote is considered eradicated). Popular island-wide support for the PIP hovered around 10% and the PIP elected one Senator and one Representative who are the respective spokepersons for the Puerto Rican Independence Party at the Puerto Rico Senate and the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Nevertheless, the party's historic leader, Rubén Berríos, announced that if that happened, party leaders and its wide-periphery constituency would make sure that it would be quickly re-instated. True to his commitment, in less than a couple of weeks the PIP's leadership and its membership obtained more than one-hundred and five thousand notarized signatures (105,000) from Puerto Rico's able voters. On a positive note, María De Lourdes Santiago made history that year by becoming the first female member of the PIP to be elected to the Puerto Rico Senate. Victor Garcia San Inocencio, for his part, was re-elected for a third term at the Puerto Rico House of Representatives where he has served as a Representative and PIP Spokesperson since January of 1997.

Party logo

The PIP's symbol is a green flag with a white cross; because of this, it is identified as the green party, both with the voting public and in the election ballots.

To the PIP, the green color signifies hope of becoming free, and the white cross, the sacrifice and commitment of the party with democracy.

"Cross" (or "Latin cross") flags are a common design in Scandinavia and other parts of the world, and in theory, the PIP's emblem belongs to this family of flags. The PIP's flag is based on the first national flag ever flown by Puerto Ricans, and the current flag of the municipality of Lares. Lares hosted the first relatively successful attempt of revolutionary insurgency in Puerto Rico, the Grito de Lares, in September 23, 1868. The Lares flag is, on the other hand, similar to that of the Dominican Republic, since the Grito's mastermind, Ramon Emeterio Betances, not only admired the Dominican pro-independence struggle, but was also a descendant of Dominicans himself. The Dominican flag was in turn adopted from a French military standard.

Controversies

Many among the general public have associated the Independence parties, including the Partido Socialista Puertoriqueno with violent acts of terrorism such as those committed by Los Macheteros. However, the party has never acknowledged links to any attacks, insisting that they want independence through peaceful means, and no proof has ever been found to corroborate these allegations. The PIP has participated in frequent congresses of international non-Marxist socialist parties.

Quotes

"Our life will always be —devoid of weaknesses, free from surrender, without fear of the powerful— until our soul enters the mystery of eternity, dedicated to democracy; to peace; to the independence of Puerto Rico; to genuine social justice; and the fraternity of all Puerto Ricans. To the struggle and victory!" -Gilberto Concepción de Gracia, (President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) from the PIP's founding day, on October 20, 1946 until his death in 1968).

Important party leaders

• Rubén Berríos, Esq. - President, former Senator and Honorary President of the Socialist International (SI)
• Manuel Rodríguez Orellana, Esq. - Secretary of Relations with North America
• Fernando Martín, Esq. - Executive President, former Senator
• María De Lourdes Santiago, Esq. - Vice-President and PIP Senator at the colonial Senate of Puerto Rico
• Juan Dalmau Ramírez, Esq. - Secretary General & Electoral Commissioner
• Prof. Edwin Irizarry Mora, Ph.D. - Secretary of Economic Affairs
• Roberto Iván Aponte - Secretary of Municipal Organization
• Dr. Luis Roberto Piñero - President of the Pro-Independence Advocates' Campaign in favor of unifying both Houses of the Legislature into a single, unicameral colonial Parliament
• Victor García San Inocencio, Esq. - PIP Representative at the colonial House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
• Jorge Fernandez Porto, M.S., Adviser on Enviromental Sciences and Public Policy Affairs
• Jessica Martínez, Esq. - Member of Pro-Independence Advocates' Campaign in Favor of a single, unicameral colonial Parliament
• Dr. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia - Founding President and Respected Latin American Leader

See also

• Latin American and Caribbean Congress in Solidarity with Puerto Rico’s Independence
• Puerto Rico political parties
• Cause of Vieques
• Maravilla Hill case
• Navy-Culebra protests
• Navy-Vieques protests
• Politics of Puerto Rico
• Socialist International

References

• Puerto Rican Independence Party (1998). Retrieved January 6, 2004 from http://www.independencia.net/ingles/welcome.html

External link

• Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP)