Every Monday after Father’s Day, the United Nations (UN) hold a hearing to discuss Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship with the United States government. The most significant development this year’s hearing was the Special Committee for Decolonization’s (C-24) President’s comments before the petitioners were allow to address the committee. I was petitioner number 7.
The C-24 President said that he was sorry to have to make such a comment. He stated that he felt that he had been disrespected by the UN. He goes on to explain how he had been assured that this year’s hearing would be broadcast live, and then at the last minute, told it would not. The logical question is, why hasn’t these hearings been broadcast live before?
This committee is charged with eradicating the world of its 17 last colonies. One would think that the committee (C-24) would be authorized by the United Nations (UN) to use everything at its disposal to get the work done! The UN has its own radio and television stations. Isn’t it odd that, until we asked, that the committee hasn’t been broadcasting live these hearings on its own initiative? Isn’t it also remarkable that these annual hearings are not broadcast on Puerto Rico’s own government’s radio and TV stations? It is obvious that there is a strong interest to maintain Puerto Rico as a United States colony forever! The following is the chronology of events leading to the committee’s president’s comment.
Radio station InformacionAlDesnudo.com decided to feature on three consecutive Saturdays, June 6, 13, and 20th from 7 to 9 PM, the Monday, June 22, 2915 United Nations (UN) hearing concerning the decolonization of Puerto Rico. On the June 20th program, the entire Puerto Rican delegation petitioning the UN was invited to tell us what it will say there on Monday.
InformacionAlDesnudo.com decided that the logical culmination to our series would be to be able to tell our listeners where to hear the hearing live. When we searched for such a station, we realized that there was none. Still more incredible was the fact that not even the UN was going to broadcast this hearing live. And even still more incredible enough was the fact that Puerto Rico’s government owned radio an TV station, WIPR would not be broadcasting it either! Isn’t democratic governments supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people? Why aren’t the people of Puerto Rico not being made aware firsthand about their own decolonization?
I wrote a certified letter to the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about it. I sent an email to the president of the UN’s Special Committee for Decolonization (C-24). I got no response from the Ban- Ki-moon, but by was if the C-24, I received 2 emails.
First a C-24 secretary informed me that there is cost to broadcast the hearing live, and that the Committee did not have the money to broadcast the hearing. I responded that if we know how much money it would take, that maybe we might be able to provide it.
Three days later, I receive that last email about this. The same secretary thanked me for my offer, but that the financing had to be done by member states of the UN. I then thank him for his time in this matter.
The morning part of hearing was not recorded which is an aberration for the UN. The afternoon, however, recorded, but not in the usual professional manner. Click on this link to see the sloppy manner in which it was done. It is amazing how the other events the UN broadcasts are professionally produced, and either the UN blacks it out, or drags its feet to the extent that eventually led to this pitiful piece of “journalism”. http://webtv.un.org/search/4th-meeting-special-committee-on-the-situation-with-regard-to-the-implementation-of-the-declaration-on-the-granting-of-independence-to-colonial-countries-and-peoples/4314142267001?term=puerto Rico
The Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) will be presenting a bill in the colonial legislature to broadcast in the future the UN’s Puerto Rico Decolonization Hearing in New York City. We don’t know why the PIP hadn’t done already from the very moment that the party was founded! Nevertheless, we totally support its proposal!
If we succeed to get out of the closet Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship with the United States government, the worldwide discussion that will occur will eventually lead to our independence. But before that happens, we must continue to protest tirelessly for that, because as we have said all along, those who have a 117 year old colony, without a doubt, don’t believe in justice for all!
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