(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The Jamaican paper Jamaica Observer harshly criticized President Desi Bouterse as CARICOM chairman in its edition of yesterday. Because of the 1980 military coup, his involvement in the coup against President Ramsewak Shankar in 1990, his status as a suspect in the December murders trial and his drug-related conviction in the Netherlands, the paper claims Bouterse has no moral authority to lead CARICOM. The paper wonders where Bouterse’s respect for CARICOM was when he toppled the democratically elected government in February 1980. However, the paper does agree with Bouterse’s plans for CARICOM as he listed them in his New Year’s address.
John van Coblijn, member of the NPS’ advisory council is shocked by the paper’s attack, but MC fraction leader Ricardo Panka (NDP) is not bothered so much by the criticism. Van Coblijn considers the comments a low blow against Bouterse personally, but also as an attack on Suriname. He wonders why the criticism was not expressed when Bouterse was elected President, but only now that he is chairman of the regional block. Van Coblijn suspects political and economic motives behind this attack. In the past, Suriname prevented Jamaica from getting permission to import cheap rice from the USA, as Suriname and Guyana could supply the rice. Panka respects the opinion of Jamaica Observer, but is not bothered by it. It was known for a long time that Suriname was in line to become CARICOM chair, and the paper ought to ask its own government whether it had officially protested against Suriname’s, and thus Bouterse’s, becoming chair.
Jamaica Observer Editorial
Mr Bouterse wrong choice for Caricom chairman
It will be interesting to see how Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) leaders interact with the new chairman of the regional body, President Desiré Delano Bouterse of Suriname.
President Bouterse began his six-month tenure in the chair on January 1 and, in his New Year’s message, has signalled his intention to push for even closer ties within the region, using as his springboard the global economic crisis.
Quite correctly, President Bouterse acknowledged that this crisis “shows no signs of abating” and that it has created challenges of unemployment, low or negative growth, and increasing disparity between the rich and the poor.
“Given the relationship between the economic health of the major nations and its effect on us in Caricom, it would require a major effort on our part to overcome the challenges presented by this ongoing situation. It also requires that we take a hard look at the way we operate, and accept changes that may be necessary,” he said.
“We have before us an opportunity to bind ourselves even closer together. For, surely, we stand a better chance to confront these challenges as a group united, than each swimming alone against the tide.”
True words indeed from Mr Bouterse.
However, we wonder where his respect for the role of the regional institution was in 1980 when he led a military coup against the elected Government of Suriname. From then, until 1988, he basically ran the country, installing titular presidents as a sham to mask his dictatorial rule.
After democracy was restored in 1988, with the election of Mr Ramsewak Shankar, a former agriculture minister, as president, Mr Bouterse rejected an accord reached by the Government with the Surinamese Liberation Army, and by 1990 President Shankar was ousted in a military coup masterminded by Mr Bouterse.
In 1999, Mr Bouterse, who had been repeatedly accused of involvement in cocaine smuggling, was convicted, in absentia, in The Netherlands of drug trafficking. He never served the sentence because under Surinamese law nationals cannot be extradited to any foreign state.
He still has pending a military court trial for his alleged involvement in the killings of 15 political opponents, including five journalists in 1982, and while he has consistently denied direct involvement in the murders, he has accepted responsibility as the then military ruler of Suriname.
What amazed us totally was that after he managed to form a Mega Combination coalition to win last May’s general election, and was then endorsed by 36 votes — two more than the required two-thirds — as Suriname’s new head of state, Mr Bouterse was embraced by Caricom leaders.
His checkered, undemocratic past appeared to have been ignored.
We do not challenge the right of the Surinamese people to elect a leader of their choice. Neither do we advocate that Caricom shun Suriname. However, we do not believe that President Bouterse should have been given the honourable position of chairman of the regional body.
Given his past, and the fact that his trial has been suspended because of his ascension to the presidency, Mr Bouterse, we hold, does not have the moral authority to lead the region. Neither will he be able to advance, with any credibility, Caricom’s interests abroad, especially in Europe where he has a criminal conviction in an EU member state.
