Suriname’s new president Désiré Bouterse seeks to alter his image from one of military strongman to that of civilian statesman
Former Master Sergeant Désiré Delano Bouterse ruled Suriname with an iron hand as its military strongman after staging a coup d’etat almost exactly 30 years ago in 1980. Now, in 2010, he is due to be sworn in as President on 3rd August. He was elected by Suriname’s Nationale Assemblee on Monday 19th July, defeating outgoing Justice and Police Minister Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
Mr Bouterse’s Mega-Combinatie (or Mega Combination) was able to accumulate 36 votes in the 51-seat Nationale Assemblee. The Mega Combination, that includes the Nationale Democratische Partij, Progressieve Arbeiders en Landbouwersunie and Kerukanan Tulodo Pranatan Ingit, claimed 23 seats, but had to negotiate with other parties to ensure a majority. Former guerrilla leader Ronny Brunswijk’s A-Combination, with its strength in the Maroon community, contributed seven seats and Paul Somohardjo’s Volks Alliantie, popular with ethnic Javanese voters, six seats.
Political problems are unlikely to end with Mr Bouterse’s formal installation as President, given Suriname’s Byzantine political party culture. He will need all his astuteness as a statesman and skill as a politician to manage the slippery relations so evident during attempts to form a coalition after the 25th May general elections.
Bouterse’s Mega Combinatie and Brunswijk’s A-Combinatie first signed a declaration of intent to form a coalition administration in early June. The A-Combinatie abandoned the agreement to sign a separate agreement with Paul Somohardjo’s Volks Alliantie, forming their own 13-seat coalition in order to secure a stronger position against Bouterse. They then signed an agreement with Ronald Venetiaan’s New Front Coalition in an attempt to form a new coalition to exclude Bouterse’s Mega-Combinatie but that also fell through by the end of June.
When the dust had settled, Ronny Brunswijk and Paul Somohardjo were back on Bouterse’s side. Mr Bouterse told the National Assembly that his election was “a historical moment, because it’s been a long time since a President was chosen by a qualified majority in Parliament – a president who comes from a modest Amerindian background.” He called on Surinamers “to work together to build up the country,” adding “We must not let foreigners determine what happens in our country.”
Mr Bouterse was well-advised to appeal to Surinamers instead of foreigners at the start of his interesting presidency. He certainly will have an uphill struggle to alter his image from one of strongman to that of statesman and to win public confidence in his own country. Two organizations in Suriname – the Organisation for Justice and Peace and the Foundation December 8 1982 – petitioned the President of the National Assembly to declare Mr Bouterse’s election illegal.
Families of the victims of the 8th December murders joined the Foundation December 8 to issue an “open letter” appealing to the National Assembly to call off the presidential elections on the grounds that the constitution prescribed that “a Presidential candidate shall not have conducted any actions which are in violation of the constitution.” They alleged in the open letter that Mr Bouterse had at least three violations to his name – the 1980 coup d’état, the 1982 murders and the 1986 Moiwana Maroon massacre.
Mr Bouterse, 25 years after the 1982 killings in 2007, offered a public apology for the first time accepting only ‘political responsibility’ for the deaths but denied involvement. He blamed Paul Bhagwandass, the battalion commander at Fort Zeelandia, for the atrocity.
Mr Bouterse’s pursuit of the presidency has been perceived by some as an effort to halt the trial and secure immunity from prosecution. He has been reported as having said through a spokesman, however, that he will not interfere in the legal proceedings. His trial began in 2007 but has stalled repeatedly, in part because witnesses have failed to show up to testify and because of procedural challenges. If he is found guilty during his five-year tenure of office, he would still have the option of granting himself a presidential pardon.
Mr Bouterse will face other challenges in the international community. The Netherlands Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen made it clear that the new Head of State would not be a welcome guest in The Hague saying “We cannot ignore that Bouterse has been sentenced in the Netherlands to 11 years imprisonment for drug trafficking…He is only welcome in the Netherlands to serve his sentence.” According to Verhagen, The Netherlands will respect the result of Suriname’s democratic election but will maintain contact with Suriname only on the basis of “functional necessity…The Netherlands will judge the new Surinamese government on its appointments, policy and actions. Existing obligations will be met unless developments make it impossible.”
The government of The Netherlands had issued an international arrest warrant for Mr Bouterse in 1997, claiming that he had smuggled more than two tonnes of cocaine into that country during 1989-97. A Dutch court convicted him for drug smuggling after trying him in absentia in 1999. Before the May elections, he was also on trial for his role in killing 15 political opponents in December 1982.
The response to Mr Bouterse’s election from the US Department of State was carefully crafted. Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Public Affairs Philip Crowley stated that “The United States supports democratic elections and processes and we respect the results of free and fair elections. We look to maintain our good ties with Suriname and the people of Suriname but we will be clear with the incoming Suriname government that, for good relations with the United States and the international community, we expect this new government to stand firm against corruption and respect democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law.”
The new President can expect sticky relations with other states. Brazil’s Federal Police (Policia Federal) is reported to have compiled files on Mr Bouterse’s alleged narcotics connections and the so-called ‘Suri Cartel.’ Desi Bouterse and his son Dino Bouterse were described as “partners in the international cocaine trade.” During Jules Wijdenbosch’s administration until April 1999, Dino Bouterse was attached as ‘Third Secretary’ to the Surinamese Embasssy in Brasilia. He is alleged to have used his office to make contact with Brazilian drug cartels. He was sentenced to imprisonment for drug-trafficking and gun-running in 2005.
The Dutch newspaper Trouw reported that Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will not make her planned State Visit to Suriname in October, nor will Mr Bouterse be congratulated by the Dutch government. The influential Gleaner newspaper of Jamaica called on its Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who is Caribbean Community’s current chairman, to “lead the charge to suspend Suriname from the community until another leader is in place. Leaders must know that the passage of time doesn’t of itself free them of responsibility for acts of impunity.”
CARICOM’s response, however, is more likely to be influenced by Guyana – Suriname’s closest neighbour. President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is now the longest serving head of government, said that it was time for Guyana and Suriname to focus on developmental cooperation and to move away from what he called “border talks.” He admitted that, although there are some tensions over the Corentyne River, the maritime boundary was settled and “the New River Triangle belongs to Guyana.” He welcomed the new administration’s expressed interest in bridging the Corentyne River. “If we could look past the issue of ownership of the river and build this bridge, then it creates more opportunities for people for trade and a whole range of things… it’s badly needed,” Mr Jagdeo mused.
What is badly needed is for Mr Bouterse to demonstrate statesmanship and partnership during his coming presidency. Guyana and the Caribbean Community expect nothing less.