divided on whether to continue or modify the current commonweaith arrangement or to seek statehood or independence.
The
debate illustrates the problem of the U.S. policy of selfdetermination with no ultimate status signal.
put
Since the mid-1970s,
forward.
In
1975,
a number of status proposals have been
a modified
commonwealth
proposal,
the
“Compact of Permanent Union Between Puerto Rico and the United
States," was introduced to Congress but was never reported out
of committee.
In 1976, President Ford proposed statehood for
Puerto Rico, but no action was taken.
In 1978 and 1981, Presidents Carter and Reagan, respectively, supported statehood as
an option if the Puerto Rican people expressed such a desire in
a plebiscite.
The status options remain a subject of great
debate, permeating the political scene in Puerto Rico.|!
They
have sparked debate on whether the United States should take the
initiative by specifying conditions which would have to be met
before
Puerto
Rico
can
become
a
state.
Some
Puerto
Rican
leaders believe the policy of self-determination does not ade-
quately address Puerto Rican concerns over future status.
They
believe the United States should indicate what it would permit
on such issues as allowing Puerto Rico to retain Spanish as
main language under
its current federal
its
statehood, whether a gradual reduction in
income tax exemption is permissible, and
other’ important issues unique to Puerto Rico.
leaders
in
Puerto
Rico
believe
future
status
is
a
tion.
|
Guam
ment
ties.
Better defining its relationship with the
through political status is one of Guam's
federal governhighest priori-
Discussions to change status were most recently initiated
in a 1982 referendum in which Guamanians voted overwhelmingly
for commonwealth status.
In December 1983, Guam officials and
congressional representatives held a formal meeting to discuss
Guam's commonwealth proposal.
Guam is currently refining a
draft commonwealth proposal which it intends to submit to the
Congress.
Guam's efforts to establish a new political status illustrate the evolving relationship between the territories and the
lFor a
comprehensive discussion of status
issues,
1981 report, Puerto Rico's Political Future:
With Many Dimensions (GGD-81-48).
12:
29002149.
see our March
A Divisive Issue
wT at daemon TEU eG de
Other
local responsibility and that the people must decide for themselves what their future relationship with the United States
should be, a view currently supported by the Reagan Administra-