Luis Munoz Marin writes as he makes his decision to step down as governor of Puerto Rico. He has held that position for the past four terms, but he wishes to step down. He reflects on his life and what he has accomplished in office.
1964—After much thought and consideration, I have made the decision not to run for a fifth term as governor of Puerto Rico. While my four terms here have been highly successful, I believe it is my time to step down from this position, and return to my seat on the senate. I am very proud of what I have achieved here. I believe that I have helped to make Puerto Rico a better place, and that I have strengthened Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States as well as our individuality and identity as a people. In 1949, Puerto Ricans were given the right to vote for their own governor. That was the year I became governor, and for the three following elections, I was voted again into office. Now, I wish to step down from my position, and pass it on to someone else. I do, however, wish to return to my seat on the senate so that I can still be an active participator in Puerto Rican affairs.
1964—After much thought and consideration, I have made the decision not to run for a fifth term as governor of Puerto Rico. While my four terms here have been highly successful, I believe it is my time to step down from this position, and return to my seat on the senate. I am very proud of what I have achieved here. I believe that I have helped to make Puerto Rico a better place, and that I have strengthened Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States as well as our individuality and identity as a people. In 1949, Puerto Ricans were given the right to vote for their own governor. That was the year I became governor, and for the three following elections, I was voted again into office. Now, I wish to step down from my position, and pass it on to someone else. I do, however, wish to return to my seat on the senate so that I can still be an active participator in Puerto Rican affairs.
I am both proud and amazed at how far Puerto Rico has come in the past few years. When I was born in 1898, Puerto Rico was taken by the United States as a territory. Though we were freed from the grasp of Spain, we now had a new captor to overcome. Since then, we have risen above many obstacles to establish our rights and our identity as a culture. I followed my father’s footsteps; he, too, worked for the benefit of Puerto Rico, and I am glad to continue his legacy. My views have changed over time, though. I used to fight for independence. I soon realized the downfalls of independence, such as the high tariff laws that would be in place. The United States began to consider statehood, but as for me, I changed my views. I wanted Puerto Rico to become a commonwealth of the United States. A commonwealth “is a new kind of state, both in the sense of the U.S. Federal System and in the general sense of people organized to govern themselves”. I then launched Operation Commonwealth with the dream of achieving that status. This was, at the time, an tentative policy, but I had faith that it would work out in the end. Our new commonwealth status now “represents a novel, flexible, imaginative relationship within the American constitutional tradition”, and I am proud to say that I was a part of making this happen.
I have always worked to expand Puerto Rico’s economy as well. I launched Operation Bootstrap to improve the economy, and many great results came from this. Many American companies set up factories on our island, providing jobs for our people. From 1940 to 1956, our net income grew 107 percent and our illiteracy rate dropped from 32 percent to 20 percent. Unemployment is still not when I hope it can become, but things are still getting better. We are making improvements, one step at a time.
I also launched Operation Serenity in “an attempt to give to economic effort objectives that commend themselves to the spirit”. I was happy with the economic progress we had been making, but I was afraid that we would lose our culture and identity in the process. I did not want this. I have always believed that "the supreme utility is freedom with reasonable comfort… In the old days you lived a good life, served God and went to Heaven. What are we living for? To beat the Russians? Own one automobile, two, three, four?”. We have now created a careful balance between culture and economy. Twenty-one years ago, a member of the United States senate deemed us “unsolvable”. Today, we are prosperous.
Looking back at my time in office, I know I have helped Puerto Rico to achieve great things; however, I do believe it is my time to step aside for someone else. I will not run for a fifth term in office, and I plan on returning to my old position on the senate. I have worked my entire life to improve Puerto Rico. I do not intend to stop now. I will always be proud of what I have accomplished here in office, and I will continue on working for the good of Puerto Rico.
Luis Munoz Marin
(Picture Citation: http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/fotos/munoz_marin2.jpg)
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