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Esta página no está disponible en español. Orlando SentinelIslanders And Mainlanders Circle Warilyby Maria Padilla
December 5, 2001 The Puerto Rico government has decided it wants to help Puerto Ricans living in the 50 states. To push things along, the island government will redirect the 10 Federal Affairs offices in various states, including two in Florida, to identify issues most affecting the Puerto Rican population. It also may resurrect a voter registration program set up in New York several years ago. This is a fascinating topic that opens the door to exploring the relationship between Puerto Ricans here and on the island. Relations between the two haven't always been warm and fuzzy. The problem is simple: When you move, you soon are forgotten. It's not a mean thing. It's just that the vast population staying behind must tend to its pressing problems. On the rare occasion when islanders have thought of the expatriates, they have done so with suspicion. Now, the time has come to turn a suspicious eye on the machinations of the island government, and to raise the question: Who is helping whom? With nearly as many Puerto Ricans in the states (3.4 million) as on the island (3.8 million), the commonwealth government is eyeing an enormous untapped political potential. For instance, the island government has been frustrated for the past 15 years in its futile attempt to push for a clearer definition of the island's political status in Congress. And if there's one issue that mobilizes Puerto Ricans everywhere, it's the island's status. Census 2000 showed the number of Puerto Ricans in the states is growing at three times the rate of that on the island. Sometime between now and 2010, the number of stateside Puerto Ricans will surpass the island population. It used to be that mostly poor Puerto Ricans moved away, seeking better economic opportunities. Nowadays, the Puerto Rico middle class is doing the same, making it far likelier that islanders have relatives here. The movement to stop the Navy from conducting military exercises on Vieques was championed by Puerto Ricans here who commanded attention and demonstrated enormous political clout. Puerto Rico, being a U.S. territory, cannot vote for president and doesn't have a vote in Congress (although the island government has powerful lobbyists). The Puerto Rican communities in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts (and increasingly Florida) are well-established and have elected members to local and state offices. New York and Illinois have gone a step further, electing three members to Congress. All this, and more to come, suggests that Puerto Ricans of their own initiative are becoming political insiders. After several generations, it has become clear that the island-born tend to maintain closer ties to the island than their stateside descendants, although the island remains a special place in most Puerto Ricans' hearts. Still, it's the children and grandchildren who now outnumber their elders and are making headway here. More often than not, the island-born do not want to get involved in local politics. We have seen ample evidence of this in Orlando. If Puerto Rico's government really wants to "help," it can light a fire under the islanders, many of whom are politically asleep. However, in this new attempt to get cozy, each side must weigh the nuances and risks. Puerto Rico needs to be wary of the more liberal views of many descendants, because the island itself is conservative and politically split. And Puerto Ricans here, who usually are eager to help the island, need to beware of what island officials eventually may ask of them.
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