Suriname opposition party informs CARICOM and OAS of American interference

by Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent

Thursday, March 17, 2005

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Suriname’s National Democratic Party (NDP), the country’s biggest political party, on Tuesday informed the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS) of what has been described as interference by the United States in Suriname’s electoral process. 

Last week the American Embassy in Suriname warned that the US will sever relations with this CARICOM member state if former dictator Desi Bouterse becomes the next president. Washington says there is no way the Bush administration will deal with a government headed by someone with a criminal record. 

The former army commander risks spending 11 years behind bars if the Netherlands lay hands on him. In 1999 he was convicted by a Dutch criminal court for trafficking cocaine to Holland. Bouterse calls the sentence a “politically motivated” conviction. Although convicted, he can’t be extradited by the Surinamese government, since the constitution prohibits Surinamese citizens being extradited.

Meanwhile at the request of the NDP, the US Embassy submitted a written statement to the party leadership. On the basis of this document the opposition party subsequently wrote president Ronald Venetiaan a letter condemning the US interference. Furthermore the head of state was advised to seek clarification from the American embassy and to lodge a formal protest against what is perceived as an “unacceptable form of interference in domestic issues” of Suriname. 

Suriname goes to the polls on May 25 to elect a new parliament, districts and provincial councils and Bouterse, chairman of the NDP, was recently appointed by his party to run for the presidency in the upcoming elections.

The NDP didn’t disclose the contents of the letters to the CARICOM or OAS representatives in Suriname and other international organizations, but stated in a press release Wednesday that the protest is in accordance with the UN Resolution 54/168 in which is stated that every move either direct or indirect to interfere with national elections in especially developing countries, with intend to influence the results of the polls are a breach of the principles laid down in de UN Charter. 

The said resolution also condemns any form of armed aggression or threat with the use of force against nations, their elected government and their legitimate leaders. “Consistent with this resolution the NDP sharply protest against the inadmissible interference from the United States in our electoral process”, the NDP statement read. 

Bouterse who seized power in a military coup on February 25, 1980, stepped down in November 1987 after his party lost the elections and Suriname returned to democracy. In December 1990 he briefly seized power again in a bloodless, so called telephone coup. The former dictator, now an elected member of parliament, also has to stand trial for the execution of 15 of his critics in December 1982. No date is set yet when this trial will begin.

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