Hostosian National Independence Movement
Encyclopedia
The Hostosian National Independence Movement is a leftist and pro-independence
Puerto Rican independence movement
The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...
organization in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Formation
The MINH was formed on May 6, 2004, by a merger of the National Hostosian Congress (CNH) and the New Puerto Rican Independence Movement (NMIP). The two groups that formed the MINH were organizational descendants of the Puerto Rican Socialist PartyPuerto Rican Socialist Party
The Puerto Rican Socialist Party was a Marxist and pro-independence political party in Puerto Rico seeking the end of United States of America control on the Hispanic and Caribbean island...
(PSP). The organization's name and ideology are based on the tradition of Eugenio María de Hostos
Eugenio María de Hostos
Eugenio María de Hostos known as "El Ciudadano de América" , was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate....
, a historical independence advocate. The official organ of the MINH is Red Betances and the newspaper "El Hostosiano".
The MINH was founded by the unification of two other independence groups: the "Congreso Nacional Hostosiano (CNH)" and the "Nuevo Movimiento Independentista Puertorriqueno (NMIP)". The MINH
Minh
Minh is a common first and middle name among Vietnamese people. It is derived from the Chinese name Ming , which directly translates to "bright"....
is not, nor strives to be, an electoral party. Instead, the MINH original goal was to operate in Civil Society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
as an autonomous entity engaged in community organizing
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
, patriotic education campaigns, anti-colonialism, and defending/promoting the ideal of independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
among Puerto Ricans
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Ideology
The MINH, as an organization, does not aspire to be an "electoral party", although its members are given the freedom to vote or not vote in Puerto Rican elections.Controversies exist within the independence movement because the MINH does not compel its members to vote for any particular party, but rather whichever candidate they, as individuals, believe is the best to administer the country. These controversies have greatly impacted the Puerto Rican independence movement. Along with the MINH, other independence organizations are the Puerto Rican Independence Party
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
, the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico, the Socialist Front
Socialist Front
The Socialist Front is a coalition of far-left and pro-independence political organizations in Puerto Rico. The Socialist Front also includes non-partisan activists....
, Communist Party of Puerto Rico, and the Socialist Workers Movement.
Program
The MINH has also been a strong catalyst in promoting a unicameral legislature in Puerto Rico, a Constituent AssemblyConstituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
on Status, and a greater role for Puerto Rico in the international arena, especially in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Since 2004, the MINH has been organizing itself at the national, regional, and municipal levels with "base structures" and "specialized organizations". The MINH National Committee or Headquarters is located in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. All other major Puerto Rican cities (Ponce, Mayagüez, Arecibo, Caguas, Toa Baja and Carolina) have Municipal Committees or "Base Structures" as do various other smaller towns throughout the island.
The MINH also operates various "Puerto Rico Missions", of which the most important is located in Havana, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Many more missions are planned to be established throughout Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, especially Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Established groups that share the aims and goals of the MINH can join and affiliate themselves as "Specialized Organizations". The MINH has also established its own newspaper called "El Hostosiano" which is distributed throughout the island.
MINH Organization
- Presidency- Three (3) co-Presidents are in charge of policy and administration.
- Executive Directorate-(9) MINH political leadership
- National Directorate-(30+) MINH Delegates (Commissions/Organizations)
- National Assembly- meets to elect leadership and propose policy
- Commissions- various work groups dedicated to a function or area, such as Organization, Finance, Political Education, and International Affairs.
Principles
MINH members (called "hostosianos") must be committed to the defense of "Social Justice Participatory Democracy and Making Puerto Rico a Free, Sovereign, and Independent Nation."Political Program and Platform
- Policy of Organizational Diversity
- "National Unity"
- "Patriotic Unity"
- Active Participation in Presenting Proposals
- Organizational Inclusiveness, Participatory DemocracyParticipatory democracyParticipatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
, and Respect for Divergent Positions - "Union of non-organized forces"
- "Policy of Alliances"
- "Internationalist Policy"
- Promoting the Interests of Mainland Puerto Ricans