Scotland of the Antilles | La Respuesta

19.9.14

Scotland of the Antilles | La Respuesta: Today the people of Scotland are getting ready to decide the future of their country in a referendum on September 18. The ballot is simple: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” Their options are clear: “Yes” or “No.” For the people of Puerto Rico, who are used to foggy plebiscites with foggy choices that inevitably lead to foggy results, a straight up-down vote may seem like a novel way of gauging the people’s preference. It’s as if the people of Scotland actually expected to reach a decision on their status.

Of course it was just recently that Puerto Rico held its own, non-binding referendum, a two-parter which first posed the ambiguous question: “Do you agree that Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of territorial status?” A majority chose “No.” (It’s worth noting that the Scots rejected “Do you agree…” for the wording over their referendum, as they viewed it as a leading question.) The second part of the Puerto Rican plebiscite offered two clear options – “Statehood” or “Independence” – plus a third option that left many voters scratching their heads.