Crisis in Puerto Rico: The scandal of the cat of the governor Ricardo Rosselló caused an institutional crisis on the island

The revelation of the content of a private conversation has put the Puerto Rican government in check.

All of the nearly 900 pages of the cat was published this Saturday, triggering an unprecedented institutional crisis.

Puerto Rican government officials, including governor Ricardo Rosselló, criticize other officials who use
coarse language.

Rosselló announced Saturday that he was giving up all the collaborators who appeared on the chat, including Secretary of State Luis Rivera, who had resigned.

The messages show how Rosselló and his closest advisers exchanged memories, derogatory, misogynistic and homophobic comments, as well as jokes about journalists, politicians and activists.

"I want to announce that I made the decision to immediately give up the collaboration of all the relatives of my administration who participate in the chat that was revealed today in its entirety," Rosselló said in a statement. communicated.

In addition to Rivera, Christian Sobrino, representative of the executive power before the tax supervisory board, also announced his resignation.

Chaotic expressions and insults

The 889 pages of the controversial discussion on Telegram's email network were revealed by the Center for Investigative Journalism, which received the full document from an anonymous source. The messages begin in December 2018 and arrive until the end of January 2019.

They show how Rosselló and his closest advisers exchanged memes,
derogatory, misogynistic and homophobic comments, as well as jokes about journalists, politicians and activists.

On Thursday, after the publication of the first messages, Rosselló asked for "forgiveness" for his participation in this chat, although he said that he would not resign.

The messages also include discussions on public policies and the exchange of confidential government information.

On Thursday, after the publication of the first messages, Rossello asked "a pardon" for his participation in this chat, although he said that he would not resign.

"After badyzing the content of the communications, it is impossible for me and for those who expect the highest ethical and behavioral standards to continue this controversy that distracts and hinders the important public management to come," added the governor. . The Saturday announcement.

After the publication of the messages, critical voices demanded the resignation of Rosselló. One of them was
Carmen Yulín Cruz, mayor of San Juan, to whom they refer derogatorily in the cat.

"Ricardo (Rossello), you're a macho, you're a badist, you're an abuser, you're a coward and a person who does not deserve to occupy the chair that you occupy," said Cruz at the # 39, a press conference Friday.

After the publication of the messages, critical voices demanded the resignation of Rosselló. One of them was Carmen Yulín Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, who was perversely referred to in the cat.

However, the governor declared that he would not resign, that he was "elected by the people" and would continue the mission entrusted to him "now more than ever".

The group also mentions bad lawyer Mayra López Mulero and the former president of New York City Council,
Melissa Mark Viverito, who showed his refusal of the position of the Democratic Party president in the United States, Tom Perez, to support the annexation of the island to the United States.

In the conversation, Rosselló names her with a vulgar expression. "This is not an attack directed solely against me, it demonstrates its degree of misogyny, badism and contempt of women," said Mark Viverito after being made known on the cat.

Activist groups and Puerto Rican celebrities such as Ricky Martin and Bad Bunny also called for the governor's immediate resignation.

Generalized crisis

The scandal of the talks is in addition to the arrests last Wednesday of several former officers and contractors of the Rosselló government for a
case of alleged corruption which includes contracts worth more than $ 17 million.

The operation ended with the arrest of the former secretary of the Education Department, Julia Keleher; Ángela Ávila, former executive director of the Health Insurance Administration, and Fernando Scherrer, chairman of the board of BDO Puerto Rico, a company that has several contracts with government agencies.

Among the arrests were also sisters Mayra and Glenda Ponce, linked to Keleher at the Ministry of Education. The list is completed by Alberto Velázquez, a subcontractor of the government and BDO.

Overall,
detainees are charged with 32 counts of indictment, including fraud, theft and fraud involving money laundering through a system that was essentially intended to benefit from government contracts.

The political upheaval comes at a critical time when Puerto Rican authorities are seeking billions of dollars in federal funding for health and recovery efforts following the devastating hurricanes of 2017.

Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy in 2017 in order to restructure its debts and pension obligations for an amount of approximately 120,000 million US dollars.

The island is experiencing a severe economic crisis, with a poverty rate of 45%, an unemployment rate twice as high as the US average, and a declining population due to migration to the United States. Continental United States (Puerto Ricans are US citizens).