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Independence Party’s Dalmau says Puerto Rico ‘ready for a transformation’

Juan Dalmau, the candidate running for governor under the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP, in Spanish), insists the island is ready for a “transformation” related to who gets to run the island.

As part of his strategy, he released his “Patria Nueva” political platform on his website before any other candidate in the gubernatorial race that will be decided on Nov. 3.

At News is my Business, we firmly believe in serving as a platform for up-and-coming journalists. So, we’ve partnered with Sacred Heart University’s EntreMedios internship program. The author is one of several students that we’re mentoring through this initiative.

In his platform, Dalmau breaks down some of the recent problems the island faces and goes into much detail on how he would make it better. One of those issues is the island’s current economic crisis.

He comes with strong propositions on the economic front, starting by refusing the island’s debt with creditors. Even though other candidates agree with this proposition, Dalmau has his thoughts. In the chapter on the economy included in his 36-page political platform, his proposals span from new agriculture jobs to ways to help low-income women move forward.

One of the most notable propositions on his plans includes new policies to conserve the island’s natural resources, which seem threatened with the construction of new malls — something he is setting out to prevent. He also proposes the use of the Ponce Port more than San Juan’s, but also states other airports on the island besides the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, should be more visible.

Dalmau establishes how he would favor the Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla to become the second international airport on the island and make the Ceiba and Ponce facilities more used as well.

He also noted his interest in helping small and medium-sized businesses and low-income women to develop better operations by participating in training that would help them develop marketing skills.

On the environmental front, Dalmau proposes eco-tourism as an option to promote Puerto Rico’s natural assets and agricultural landscapes.

The PIP candidate also mentions creating urban nursery plants to promote the island’s productivity in agriculture, and which would help to sell locally harvested products and make them a priority in commercial business.

Following his political party’s goal of gaining independence for Puerto Rico, Dalmau also outlines his short-term plans for the island. One of those calls for launching more commercial trade with ships between Latin America and Europe, outside of the Jones Act.

Other than that, he proposes to change economic aid and taking a closer look at who receives assistance by urging individuals to fill out their taxes even if their obligations are low.

He also proposes lowering the sales and use tax (known as IVU in Spanish) by increasing fees to renew licenses and other government processes. In his political platform, he also calls for modernizing the government, by shifting operations into online environments and enabling carrying out transactions on the web.

Dalmau also proposed using the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to “make the internet free and accessible for all,” while saying that technology should be an option, not an imposition.

The island’s transformation would be Dalmau’s biggest statement for a modern Puerto Rico.

Dalmau’s economic proposals were part of a broad analysis released by the Puerto Rico Economists Association, discussing every candidate’s plans, ranking them on a scale of one to five. The PIP’s platform got a general score of 3.1, putting it in second place behind the Popular Democratic Party, which got a 3.4.

In their assessment, the professional group said the candidates were not all that specific in their economic proposals, saying future political contenders should have more detailed programs to address the island’s problems.

Author Details
Author Details
Yamilet Aponte-Claudio was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She graduated from Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Providencia and is currently a junior at Sacred Heart University. Majoring in Journalism and adding a minor in sustainable development and foreign languages, she aspires to study law after obtaining her bachelor’s degree.
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