US warning is ‘enormous psychological blunder’, says former Suriname dictator

by Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: An ‘enormous psychological blunder’, that’s what the US warning that, if he becomes Suriname’s next president, the United States will sever relations with Suriname, is to former coup leader and dictator Desi Bouterse.

Bouterse, currently an elected Member of Parliament, is appointed to run for the presidency by his National Democratic Party (NDP) when Suriname holds general elections on May 25 this year. With two months to go before the elections the Americans couldn’t have made a much bigger mistake, Bouterse said last Friday night at a special meeting of the NDP. 

With some 2000 followers in attendance at NDP’s headquarters, the party leader noted that people won’t be preoccupied too long with the US statement because of the existing bad economic situation in the country and their struggle to survive.

“This is an inconceivable blunder,” said the politician. According to Bouterse the US action was meant to intimidate the electorate, especially voters who haven’t made up their mind yet who to vote for, and to influence the elections to the disadvantage of his party.

The NDP leader also criticized the role supposedly played by Cliff Djamin, public relations officer at the US Embassy, in the release of the statement. Djamin, former director of the government’s information bureau (NVD) according to Bouterse is a member of coalition party SPA. With the released statement, Bouterse suggested that Djamin is trying to help the New Front coalition, since the coalition is legging behind in the opinion polls and may lose the elections.

The political leader also slammed the US for not adhering to UN Resolution 50/172, in which is stated that foreign countries should not interfere in other sovereign country’s internal affairs, such as parliamentary elections. He blames the ministry of Foreign Affairs for not taking any formal action against the US Embassy and seeks an explanation.

“No we just don’t do that, but put our sovereignty at risk, merely for party political reasons,” said a disgruntled Bouterse last Friday night.

Meanwhile president Ronald Venetiaan said that his government won’t seek any clarification from the US Embassy on the statement. Earlier vice-president Jules Ajodhia noted that the government has nothing to do with the statement and that it is up to Bouterse and his party to comment on this issue.

According to former president Jules Wijdenbosch, it would have been better if the US had adhered to accepted international standards and principles not to comment on the internal affairs of a sovereign country in regards to issues such as elections. The Bush administration, according to the former president, should have kept their views to themselves or voice their standpoint on their own territory.

Washington warned that is won’t deal with a government led by someone with a criminal record. In 1999 Bouterse in absentia was sentenced to an 11-years jail term for cocaine trafficking to the Netherlands, by a Dutch court. The former dictator characterized the conviction as a political trial. In December 2005 Bouterse along with 26 other suspects was notified by the state prosecutor that he will have to stand trial for the murder of 15 government critics in December 1982, when he was army chief and absolute ruler in Suriname. No date is set for the trial yet.

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