Puerto Rico: A Protege Disowned

PUERTO RICO

For three decades, Luis Muñoz Marin and his Popular Democratic Party presided over Puerto Rico’s transformation from an impoverished Caribbean stepchild of the U.S. to a commonwealth of increasingly robust economic health. Then, in 1965, Muñoz’s hand-picked successor, Roberto Sánchez Vilella, took over. Muñoz, who went into semiretirement as a senator, continued to maintain a jealous watch over the aging party that he had founded. Increasingly irked by his successor’s independent ways, he and a coalition of P.D.P. leaders last week denied Sáchez nomination to a second gubernatorial term and all but drummed him out of the party.

An engineer by training, Sánchez had worked for 30 years as Muñoz’s closest adviser and protege, but as Governor he betrayed a lack of political savvy. His sometimes brash young assistants inevitably angered P.D.P. regulars accustomed to Muñoz’s paternalistic style. Sánchez sought to broaden the party’s base and wean it from Muñoz’s ubiquitous influence. But Muñoz, like a Latin Lear, proved less than willing to see his rule pass to the next generation.

Jeers. The schism widened a year ago when Sánchez, now 55, divorced his wife of 30 years and within three days married a beautiful younger woman, Lawyer Jeannette Ramos, who is 36. Aware of the problem that posed with his Roman Catholic constituency, the Governor announced at the same time that he would not seek reelection. By March, however, his confidence was so restored that he reversed his decision, against Muñoz’s wishes.

“The people shall decide” became Sánchez’s campaign slogan. As it happened, the decision was made by the party leaders whom he had antagonized. Sánchez called for open gubernatorial party primaries, but his demand was denied. The P.D.P. convention was rescheduled a month earlier to forestall popular debate, and the Governor’s forces charged that the selection of delegates was rigged. Last week, in San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, party regulars, under the impassive gaze of Luis Muñoz, jeered Sánchez, then overwhelmingly nominated Luis Negrón Lopez, the senate majority leader, for the governorship.

Sánchez withdrew to greet several thousand of his own partisans at La Fortaleza and to ponder running as an independent. His candidacy would drain off many votes that normally would go to the P.D.P. nominee. Barring a three-way race, Negrón is slightly favored to defeat New Progressive Party Candidate Luis Ferré, a fervent advocate of statehood and the only other significant candidate. If the Popular Democratic Party should indeed splinter, the era of Muñoz and of steady commonwealth status may be ended.