(de Ware Tijd) – “It may be wrong, but sometimes you must scream so people understand you,” says Ricardo Pané, chairman of the Association of Indigenous Village Heads in Suriname (VIDS), after a meeting the VIDS had with President Bouterse in Redi Doti. This meeting became necessary after the President had said harsh words to the VIDS chairman earlier during the reunion of Redi Doti’s inhabitants. “As a result, the establishment of an institute especially for the Indigenous people will be sped up”, Pané says. The land rights issue will also get attention in this framework. Another result is that the VIDS and the President’s Office will have regular consultations about policy towards the Indigenous people, which should be part of national development. Parties already started talks about these issues on Monday.
Meanwhile, on the issue of the non-airing by state TV of the confrontation which its reporter had recorded, Cliff Limburg, press officer of the President’s Office, says the matter of the STVS tape has been blown out of proportion. According to him, the President’s Office sent back the tape to the station’s news editors. Limburg says the reason that this was done rather late is simple: “There were three activities at the Presidential Palace on Monday, such as the swearing in of the new RGB Minister. After that, I had to hurry to present other programs.” So according to the press officer, it was due to unforeseen circumstances that the tape was not returned to the STVS in time for its 7:30 p.m. news. “But we did return the tape, and whether they still want to use it is up to the STVS”, Limburg says.
