Former Suriname rebel leader elected to parliament

by Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent

Friday, May 27, 2005

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: A former rebel leader was elected in Suriname Wednesday to take a seat in the 51 member parliament, after his first attempt failed five years ago. Ronnie Brunswijk, former leader of the Jungle Commando, was among the 4 candidates of the A-Combination voted into parliament. 

Brunswijk a former body guard of military leader Desi Bouterse took up arms against the then army commander in 1986 to reinstate democracy in this CARICOM nation. The bloody internal war left hundreds dead, including 50 innocent civilians in 1986 in the maroon village Moiwana.

Brunswijk also ran in the general elections of May 2000 but was rejected by the electorate. Now five years later he has made a successful bid after his ABOP-party joined forces with two other small maroon ethnic parties, BEP and Seeka. 

Desi Bouterse was also again elected on Wednesday for a post in the National Assembly, Suriname’s parliament. Both former adversaries were sentenced in the late 90s for cocaine trafficking in separate cases, charges they both deny. According to new evidence dug up by the Belgian judicial authorities Bouterse’s conviction in 1999 and an 11-year jail term were based on false statements by a main witness, Patrick van Loon, a Belgian national.

In his first statement after the elections Brunswijk said it was his strong desire to become a parliamentarian. Since he expects that one political party alone will not be able to form a government on its own, he think his party will play a significant role in the United People’s Assembly where the next president will eventually be elected. Brunswijk said he has no problem or whatsoever to sit side by side with Bouterse in parliament if the development of the country and the national interest require that.

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