Ex-House speaker: Senate president insults women as a political strategy

Former Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Zaida “Cucusa” Hernández Torres (X via Jenniffer González)

By THE STAR STAFF

Former Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Zaida “Cucusa” Hernández Torres reacted Thursday to remarks made by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, asserting that “the great white shark” will not run for governor of Puerto Rico because “he is a coward.”

Regarding the Senate president’s controversial post -- part of a dispute that began when Rivera Schatz criticized Gov. Jenniffer González Colón for holding a meeting of the New Progressive Party directorate during working hours -- Hernández Torres stated that Rivera Schatz has a tendency to publicly attack women. 

“In all these years that he has been Senate President, for the third time, there have always been rumors that he would run for governor and that now he will, but he will not run for governor of Puerto Rico because he is a coward and could not bear a defeat,” the former House speaker (1993-1997) said.

The former lawyer reiterated that the veteran legislator has had the opportunity to run for governor, but hasn’t because he has been unwilling “to go against anyone who could defeat him.”

“He did it with [former governors Luis] Fortuño, with Ricky Rosselló, [Pedro] Pierluisi, and [current governor] Jenniffer [González Colón].”

She added that Rivera Schatz resorts to insults and attacks on women as a political strategy.

“He has a pact in politics. He wants to attack women, use foul language, hurl insults, yet we see him being very friendly with Senator Eliezer Molina because supposedly there was going to be a fight …” she said. “But of course, in political parties there are always people who like politicians to insult, fight, act like they’re in charge, and in that Senate, what’s missing is for everyone to line up like children in school, because everyone has to do what he says.”

Hernández Torres, who presided over the lower chamber during then-governor Pedro Rosselló’s first term, also pointed out that a person who tells someone to shut up is not a leader.

“That says very little about a leader,” she said. “How can I tell someone to shut up or complain because I give them more time to ask a question?”