barriomulas.com - Barriomulas on Acevedo Vila

Chaos in Puerto Rico. The office, the hallways, and the radio is buzzing with rumors, speculation, and newspaper headlines. The Feds have filed 19 charges against Puerto Rican Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila for corruption and conspiracy against electoral and campaign reporting laws.

Most PPD are making claims of political persecution on behalf of the Federal Investigators, citing the three year long investigation and other irregularities. Yes; I agree. The Feds are obvious biased, for its pretty much well known that the PNP is historically the most corrupt party in modern history. (I would attribute this to their massive initiative to privatize everything, which only facilitated corrupt politicians and businessmen in their doings. If the PPD carried out privatization efforts, they too would have done the same.) I will agree that the Feds have been selective in who they investigate, but the PPD leadership know very well that these charges are true.

It's a universal practice among political parties to reward in one way or another campaign financiers. (Especially campaign supporters who donate to both parties. I don't know how you could ideologically explain that.) We all know that these practices are true, though I do admit that the charges are selective.

I would with the exaggeration of that selectiveness, though. I don't see much reason as to why the feds would have singled out Anibal Acevedo Vila. He's not anti-American at all (in fact he was a U.S. Congressman), he has rarely ever had a progressive position on any issue, and he caters to big business (known here as "the big interests".) He did not adopt any options that could have been interpreted as anti-American even after U.S. courts overturned his 2004 election, after the FBI killed Puerto Rican freedom fighter/terrorist Filiberto Ojeda Rios, and after Feds persecuted the local pro-independence movement. Also, any fool knows that if Anibal steps down, he's going to be replaced by a much more popular, left-wing candidate. All names that have been thrown around so far; former Governor Hernandez Colon, former Director of DACO and current candidate for Senate Garcia Padilla, and Caguas Mayor Willie Miranda Marin are all much more hostile to both big business and the conservative U.S. establishment.

It's difficult to think that they did it to benefit the PNP campaign. They know for damn sure that either of the above candidates have a better chance at defeating the PNP than Acevedo Vila. Though I agree that these investigations have been highly selective, I would not necessarily say that they have some political motive. The truth is that it would have been more convenient for the PNP for Acevedo Vila to remain in La Fortaleza, knowing well that Fortuño would have been able to defeat him easily.