Fortuño throws hat in ring for 2nd term: PDP claims he broke last campaign promises

By Raúl Colón


Gov. Fortuño announced Sunday his official desire to live in La Fortaleza another four years.
The opposition Popular Democratic Party wasted no time in issuing its own statement, blaming the present administration for breaking all its past promises.
“This has been the term of change and the next will be the term of works,” Fortuño said, including the status definition.
The governor called the commonwealth a colony and committed himself to maintain as his priority to achieve changes concerning the island's political relationship with the United States.
“Two and a half years ago, I told you that it would not be easy,” the governor said as he recited a long list of achievements of his administration. “The previous government left us bankrupt, with no money to pay the first payroll, but I told you that we would get out of this.”
The chief executive also criticized the way in which the [PDP] handled the island's finances during the last decade.
“I plan to lower taxes even more; if they return they will raise taxes, so that is why we cannot allow anyone to forget what they did,” Fortuño added.
The governor alluded to the expected candidacy of Norma Burgos to Caguas City Hall, when he said “listen, Norma,” as he spoke of the extension of the Urban Train to Caguas. He also announced the extension of the mass transit system to Toa Baja and Barceloneta.
Sounding like the candidate he is, Fortuño also promised that there will be more integration of nonprofit organizations in island communities and more high-tech equipment to combat crime.
“Those who want a decent and efficient government know how to vote,” said Fortuño. “To progress, we need an intelligent government and we need Luis Fortuño,” said the Senate leader.
The Puerto Rican people will pass the bill on to a government which is not doing its job and will remain on the alert for a campaign in which the NPP will promise much and deliver little, said PDP Secretary General Víctor Suárez Sunday after the governor's announcement for re-election.
“We have already seen this movie and the sequels are always worse than the original.”
“Fortuño and the present NPP leadership are presuming to conduct a campaign and sell us a failed and dying candidate. But we all remember that in 2008 he promised not to fire public workers and he dismissed 30,000. We remember that he promised to bring 100 millionaires to invest in Puerto Rico, and instead he has made millionaires out of 100 of his friends. We remember how he promised to stimulate the economy, but today there is more joblessness and bankruptcy than ever, the PDP official said.
People remember that he promised to lower electricity costs and what we have seen is constant increases. Remember how he promised to deal with crime and before we have reached the half-year mark, we have more than 500 killings. Remember how he promised a better health system, and in reality Mi Salud (My Health) has turned out worse than the previous system.”
And with that record, he dares offer himself to the people again?” he asked rhetorically.
He said that before the next elections, the PDP will show the people that theirs is the alternative”to rescue Puerto Rico and that Alejandro [García Padilla] is the leader that can bring back hope in our collective future.