Dear Editor,

With regard to your news story about Suriname’s Desi Bouterse being sworn in as President (SN, August 17), there is a mixed reaction to the President  from Suriname’s diaspora with some backing him and others strongly opposed to him. Surinamese based in Holland have mixed views on Bouterse being chosen as President. The majority would prefer that he was not President but would be willing to accept him if that were needed to form a government and would bring stability. Surinamese said they had been plagued with bad governance over a long period of time.

I was in Holland last week and I informally polled Surinamese at various events on their views about Bouterse being chosen as their new President. They were not enthusiastic about this. I went to the Suriname museum and visited the monument erected (in the centre of Amsterdam) for those democratic leaders who were executed allegedly on Bouterse’s orders. The opinion, from my estimate, among Dutch Surinamese (of various ethnic groups) is about 70% opposed, and 30% in favour of Bouterse’s presidency.

Surinamese have not forgotten the alleged criminal activities of Bouterse and civil society, religious and labour leaders he is accused of having killed. They even talk about his conviction in Holland on a drug trafficking charge. But many, including the families of some of those he killed, are willing to forgive and move on so there can be healing in Suriname and among the Suriname diaspora. However, they want some kind of compensation for their relatives and it would help Bouterse if he were to tender an apology for the crimes of the past when he was the ruler. That would help him to become more acceptable to his people.

Those who support Bouterse say if the electorate chose him, then he should be accepted and be given a chance to govern to prove his mettle.

Surinamese in Holland say it was mostly the younger voters (60% younger than 30 years) who cast ballots for Bouterse’s coalition and that these youngsters didn’t know much about what Bouterse did and didn’t care a lot about what happened in the 1980s. More and more Surinamese people in Holland are willing to close the past dictatorial Bouterse chapter of their lives and feel Bouterse will be a better ruler this time around.

The few Guyanese in Holland, although they repudiated his alleged killing of people, are grateful to Bouterse for allowing the smuggling of foods to Guyana from his country so Guyanese could eat bread, roti, dhal, alou, etc. When I was in Guyana in July, several Guyanese noted that Bouterse allowed the safe passage of the late Dr Walter Rodney to attend the independence celebration of Zimbabwe.

The handful of Surinamese I spoke with in New York felt strongly Bouterse should not be President but will accept him since the parliament has chosen him.

Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram