By The Star Staff
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia defended himself earlier this week against the argument by members of the Financial Oversight and Management Board regarding the use of federal funds approved for the impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“I think the important thing is that there is not so much unnecessary politics, so many, so to speak, leaders speaking without knowing, without having the data at hand, saying things that are published and then people believe them, they repeat them and repeat them like in the times of Hitler and people believe them” the governor said Wednesday in an aside with the press. “And that’s enough. They should be more professional, they should speak with data at hand, which is how I like to speak and how I spoke to these members of the board here so that they are also clear.”
“We collectively, because I am not speaking personally, have done the work in these four years and now the important thing is for the people to make the decision [on who will be his successor] in the coming weeks,” he added.
The oversight board’s executive director, Robert Mujica, announced that the federal entity created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, commonly known as PROMESA, will take an active role in the process of rebuilding the electrical system.
“Our role will be to bring all the parties together, find out what needs to be done and then make sure it gets done, working with the government or anyone willing to collaborate, including the federal government,” Mujica said.
Pierluisi noted that the oversight board, led by Mujica, has begun to call together all the principal players on the “electrical system reconstruction issue.”
“The secretary of state [Omar Marrero Díaz] has been present on two occasions, among others, and he said yes, the board will be more active in intervening in this matter,” Pierluisi said. “Look, congratulations, because I myself told him, this is a job that has to be done as a team. And it is not a question of you criticizing from the stands, from the outside, no, roll up your sleeves. Nor is it a question of someone coming, as I said in English, with a ‘magic bullet’, because that is basically like coming to say that they have the solution like that, without further analysis or further study. I have done what I have to do as governor. My team has also done what it has to do. …”
“There is a lot, a lot being done,” the governor added. “The important thing is that it speeds up. I am talking about the energy side, because in terms of reconstruction in general, we are going at the right pace. So if there is any criticism, I understand it, it is in this area of the electrical system, because every time we have blackouts, every time we have load shifts, that bothers and annoys everyone, everyone involved.”
Comments