Roselló now free to govern effectively
Published on Sunday, June 6th 1999 on The San Juan StarOnce again in our history, way back since the governors of our island were designated by the president of the United States, Puerto Rico will have a governor who is immune to the concerns of being reelected and who is refractory to political party whims. We now have a governor whose sole mandate, purpose, wish and endeavor will be to govern and administer well, without having to worry about whether his deeds are 'simpático' to the populace, nor whether they will win him votes from his electorate or from the strays who always decide an election. Too good to be true. Too bad that it’s only for eighteen months. Would be nice if it were for eighteen years. Physician and pediatric surgeon Pedro Rosselló González, by announcing he will not seek a third term, has set both a precedent and an example. Today he is governor, plain and simple. He has also upset the apple cart.
In Puerto Rico, no one who wants to be governor should ever become governor. In fact, one has to be sort of a masochist to want to be governor of a place where our personal and collective lack of responsibility always make us seek someone else to blame for whatever goes wrong or for whatever whim we fail to obtain. If there is a clogged toilet in a public school somewhere, the governor is to blame. Not the janitor, nor the principal. The governor. If a hurricane topples a bridge or a road gives way in a landslide, the governor is to blame. If a factory closes, the governor is to blame. If there is a ruckus at the UPR and the police must intervene with the so-called intellectuals who feel civil rights are only for them so they can trample the rights of others, the governor is to blame. If the bus is late and I miss the party, the governor is to blame. If a corporate business venture is not to a labor leader’s liking and a media-circus strike develops, the governor is to blame. Ah, yes. If the governor does not bare his back and offer it willingly and voluntarily for hostile reporters to flog, and if he does not smile while being flogged, the governor is arrogant and aloof. C’mon!
When a cool and objective analysis is made, history will reveal that Pedro Rosselló Gozález served Puerto Rico better than most. And if Pedro is still alive when that conclusion is reached, that will have been his only reward.
What happens now at the New Progressive Party? In murky waters, fishermen and opportunists stand to gain. First, the NPP will have to tend to the power brokers within the party. You know, the ones that pick and choose. This is most important. Second, the NPP will have to tend to the interest groups that hover over the party, and over any other party. You see, these interest groups are not necessarily loyal to a party. They are loyal to their interests. Third, the NPP will have to decide whether to reemphasize or not the party’s ideal, if this is still important. For those who may have forgotten, the NPP’s ideal was once to decolonize Puerto Rico and to bring political equality to Puerto Ricans through statehood. Last, and least, the party will have to tend to its electorate. Yes, the electorate which will obediently vote for the candidate(s) that party discipline tells them they are to support. Also, someone will have to tend to the electorate floating outside the party that the party needs in order to win. Remember, both major parties have 45% of the general electorate, and no party can win an election with its electorate alone.
Who is the ideal candidate? The ideal candidate is the one who can appease all of the above, and one who can also win the election. Unfortunately, in a society as politically motivated as ours, the traits required to adorn a good governor are not necessarily the same traits required for a candidate to win an election.
A good governor must be technically and intellectually sound, honest, upright, a real and recognized leader, fair, a good administrator with good administrative mileage, visionary, courageous, a diplomat, morally true, and wih a clean and impressive personal and professional pedigree.
On the other hand, a "winning" candidate must be sexy, poised, good looking, fluidly expressive, have a vibrant and pleasant voice with a flair for drama, elegant, 'simpático', a darling of the press, an issue juggler, a magnet for campaign monies, an expert at rally oratory, an astute politician, and a tireless campaigner. In short, a Superman.
And in the NPP, the guy that most resembles Clark Kent is...