波多黎各要建州或獨立?新總督尋求解決危機

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s new governor was sworn in Monday as the U.S. territory prepares for what many believe will be new austerity measures and a renewed push for statehood to haul the island out of a deep economic crisis.

（美聯社）波多黎各，聖胡安市 － 波多黎各新總督週一宣誓就職，作爲美國領土許多人認爲要爲新的緊縮措施做準備，併爲該島擺脫嚴重的經濟危機重新推動建州或獨立。

Gov. Ricardo Rossello, 37, proposed several measures aimed at alleviating the crisis shortly after he was sworn in at midnight. Among them is a proposal to hold a referendum that would ask voters whether they prefer statehood or independence. Many have argued that Puerto Rico’s political status has contributed to its decade-long crisis that has prompted more than 200,000 people to flee to the U.S. mainland in recent years.

37歲的總督瑞奇·羅塞略在午夜宣誓後提出了幾項用於緩解短期危機的措施。其中包括一項公投的提案將詢問投票公民是否同意建州或獨立。許多人認爲，波多黎各的政治地位產生了長達十年的危機，近年來已促使超過20萬波多黎各人逃往美國大陸。

Rossello also has pledged to work closely with a federal control board that U.S. Congress created last year to oversee Puerto Rico’s finances, and he has said he supports negotiations with creditors to help restructure a nearly $70 billion public debt.

羅塞略致力於改善公私合作伙伴關係，並使用這筆收入來挽救面臨400億美元的退休制度，預計不到一年就會崩潰。羅塞略也承諾與美國國會去年成立監督波多黎各財政的聯邦控制委員會密切合作，他還說支持與債權人就協助重組一筆近700億美元的公債談判。

Thousands of supporters awaited Rossello’s arrival for the post-swearing-in inauguration ceremony at the island’s seaside Capitol building, clutching umbrellas to protect themselves from a searing sun.

在島上海邊的總督大樓，數萬名支持羣衆等待羅塞略在宣誓就職典禮後的到來，手握着傘擋住熾熱陽光。

“This is a historic moment for Puerto Rico,” said 50-year-old Jose Davila as he waved a large flag from Rossello’s pro-statehood party. “He’s the hope of our island, he’s the hope for statehood, he’s the hope for a people that have suffered.”

"這是波多黎各的歷史時刻"，50歲的何塞·達維拉，他從力挺羅塞略的政黨上揮舞大旗一邊說着。"總督是我們島上的希望，也是受苦的人民的希望"。

Puerto Ricans have been hit with dozens of new taxes in the past four years and increases in utility bills as former Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla aimed to generate more revenue for a government he said was running out of money. Despite those and other measures, the island’s government has defaulted on millions of dollars’ worth of bond payments and declared a state of emergency at several agencies.

波多黎各人自前任總督的過去4年受到了幾十項新稅收的影響，還增加了水電費。加西亞·帕迪利亞設法爲政府創造更多的收入，他說資金正在用盡。儘管有某些和那些措施，島上政府已經違約上百萬美元的債券付款，數個機構宣佈進入緊急狀態。

The federal control board has requested a revised fiscal plan that has to be approved by end of January, saying that the one Garcia submitted last year was in part unrealistic and relied too heavily on federal funds. Garcia had refused to submit a revised plan to include austerity measures. Rossello has said he would request an extension of that deadline as well as an extension of a moratorium that expires in February and currently protects Puerto Rico from lawsuits filed by angered creditors.

聯邦控制委員會要求修訂的財政計劃必須在1月底前批准，舉出加西亞去年提交的部份是不現實的，並過度依賴聯邦資金。加西亞拒絕提交一項修訂計劃，包括緊縮措施。羅塞略已經表示，他將要求延長還款期限與在2月到期的延緩償付，目前保護波多黎各避免被憤怒的債權人訴訟。

The new governor also seeks to privatize services such as the generation of energy, establish an office to oversee and distribute federal funds to cut down on corruption, and to create financial incentives for doctors to boost the number of dwindling specialists.

新總督還尋求私有化如能源生產部門的服務，設立一個辦公室監督和分類聯邦資金以減少腐敗，併爲醫生創造財政獎勵，以提升日益減少的專家人數。

As supporters kept streaming toward the Capitol building, one yelled out, “Today, a new Puerto Rico begins!” to the cheers of others, including those holding U.S. flags.

當支持者在週一早些時候涌向總督大樓，一人高喊，"今天，新的波多黎各開始了！" 隨着其他人的歡呼，包括那些拿着美國國旗的羣衆。