The Hostosian National Independence Movement ( es, Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano, MINH) is a leftist and pro-independence organization in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. As of 2015, Julio Muriente is known to be the leader.
History
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 Party
The Puerto Rican Socialist Party ( es, Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño, PSP) 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 of Puerto ...
(PSP). The organization's name and ideology are based on the tradition of
Eugenio María de Hostos
Eugenio María de Hostos (January 11, 1839 – August 11, 1903), known as "''El Gran Ciudadano de las Américas''" ("The Great Citizen of the Americas"), was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, novelist, an ...
, 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 is not, nor strives to be, an
electoral
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operat ...
party. Instead, the MINH original goal was to operate in
Civil Society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.community organizing,
patriotic
Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...
education campaigns,
anti-colonialism
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence ...
, and defending/promoting the ideal of
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
among Puerto Ricans.
It was an organizational observer of the
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.
The movement originated in the aftermath o ...
.
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
The Puerto Rican Independence Party ( es, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a social-democratic political party in Puerto Rico that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States.
Those who follow the PIP ...
, the
Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico
The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico, PNPR) is a Puerto Rican political party founded on September 17, 1922, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to work for Puerto Rico's independence. The P ...
The MINH has also been a strong catalyst in promoting a
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
legislature in Puerto Rico, a
Constituent Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
on Status, and a greater role for Puerto Rico in the international arena, especially in the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
. 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. All other major Puerto Rican cities ( Ponce, Mayagüez,
Arecibo
Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, th ...
,
Caguas
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...
,
Toa Baja
Toa Baja (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over five barrios, including Toa Baja Pueblo (the downtown area and ...
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
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. Many more missions are planned to be established throughout
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, especially
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. 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.
Organization
# Presidency- Three co-Presidents are in charge of policy and administration. As of 2017 this includes Héctor Pesquera.
# 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.
The organization also reportedly has a "radical youth wing".
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 platform
# Policy of Organizational Diversity
# "National Unity"
# "Patriotic Unity"
# Active Participation in Presenting Proposals
# Organizational Inclusiveness,
Participatory Democracy
Participatory democracy, participant democracy or participative democracy is a form of government in which citizens participate individually and directly in political decisions and policies that affect their lives, rather than through elected repr ...
, and Respect for Divergent Positions
# "Union of non-organized forces"
# "Policy of Alliances"
# "Internationalist Policy"
# Promoting the Interests of Mainland Puerto Ricans
Recent Events
In 2015 they praised (through their spokesperson Héctor Pesquera) Puerto Rican independence protests, saying "...it’s been a long time since an event for independence was so successful."
In 2016, MINH (via Wilma Reverón) denounced the collection of DNA samples from 3 independentist militants.
See also
*
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party ( es, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a social-democratic political party in Puerto Rico that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States.
Those who follow the PIP ...