(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – In spite of all the arguments used by the supporters of amending the 1989 Amnesty Act in recent days, the proposal’s only goal is to prevent President Desi Bouterse from being convicted by the court-martial, A Combinatie leader Ronnie Brunswijk said plainly in an interview yesterday.
“Let’s not beat around the bush: The amnesty is intended to prevent Bouterse’s conviction, and if NDP members are afraid to say so, that’s their business, but I’m not and will come out and say it straight: He must not be convicted”, Brunswijk said yesterday during an interview on Parliament’s premises while the debates about the controversial proposal were being held.
For some days now, the initiators of the proposal have been bending over backwards to convince opponents and the rest of the community otherwise. Bouterse and 24 military officers, former military officers and civilians are on trial for their role in the 8 December murders, and judge advocate Roy Elgin will start his summation against Bouterse and four other suspects during the court’s next session on 13 April. Legislator Mahinder Jogi (NF/VHP) said the coalition is taking advantage of its majority to let the December murders suspects go unpunished, and called on the initiators to withdraw their proposal, stating it is not too late for that.
