BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The former speaker of the National Assembly in Suriname, Jennifer Simons, Monday called on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and other organizations and countries not to use “one-sided information” to condemn last Friday’s protest action by demonstrators against the policies of the government of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
“If they want to know what is happening, they should come; you cannot rely on one-sided information,” Simons told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC),” adding that all the political parties in the Dutch-speaking CARICOM country had “condemned” the looting and violence” that occurred on Friday when the demonstrators stormed the National Assembly building and nearby business places.
“We wondered what was conveyed to the CARICOM,” she added.
In a statement issued following its 44th summit in the Bahamas last Friday, CARICOM said it had received a report from the Suriname Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation of Suriname, Albert Ramdin, on the disturbances in that country.
In its statement, the regional leaders reaffirmed their “support for the democratically elected government in Suriname under President Santokhi, “strongly condemning violent attacks on people and private and public facilities, including the parliament.
“CARICOM stands in solidarity with all law-abiding citizens of Suriname and urges all concerned to make every effort to maintain public safety. All efforts must be made to restore calm as a matter of urgency,” it added.
The United States, in a statement, said. At the same time, it supports the right to peaceful protest and respect for the rule of law, and it “remains committed to helping Suriname strengthen its democratic institutions.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also commented on the situation in Suriname, saying he is “concerned” about the violent protests, where more than 100 people were detained after protestors stormed the National Assembly.
“The Secretary-General stresses that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights that must be respected at all times, but protests must be carried out without resorting to violence,” according to a brief statement issued by Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
“The Secretary-General urges all relevant actors in Suriname to show restraint and engage in inclusive dialogue to address constructively the challenges facing the country,” the statement added.
But Simons, who served as the speaker during the period 2015-2020, when the Desi Bouterse government was in office, told CMC that since coming to office, the Santokhi government has embarked on an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program that has hit the population hard.
“The abolition of almost all subsidies, an increase in tax costs, and the devaluation of the Surinamese currency at a rapid pace led to years of annual inflation of more than 50 percent, with a cumulative effect that has brought a large part of the population below the poverty line and has made only a few increasingly more prosperous. All this has been carried out without a concrete social program. :
However, she said what causes more significant discontent “is the enormously increased, overt corruption, nepotism where family members and even household members and business partners are appointed to the most crucial decision-making positions and as advisors of the President and vice president.
“We have seen an excessive growth in the number of employees in the Office of the President. Every week there is another serious scandal in the country, and shady international deals, including one that has been under investigation by the Danish authorities, involving deals involving cabinet ministers”.
Simons said that the Public Prosecutor’s office is used against citizens who express their criticism and frustration with the policy, adding, “the government has become increasingly repressive, and public confidence in the independence of the judiciary and especially persecution has declined sharply.
“There is political persecution against political opponents, as has been established by INTERPOL in the case of the former minister of finance,” she added.
Simons said that the demonstrations on Friday took place with adequate notice being sent by the organizers to the authorities and that there have been several demonstrations in the past two years regarding the government’s policy.
“The last demonstration of February 17, 2023, was announced well in advance after new taxes were introduced unprepared, the prices of food and other consumer goods went up even further, and recent fuel price increases were announced.
“Unions and activists announced protest manifestations and strikes. It was indicated that the people could no longer bear rising costs. The activists who called for demonstrations also campaigned and organized protests during the previous government, which current coalition parties then supported.”
Simons said that “several thousand people of all ages and political persuasions” peacefully participated in the demonstration last Friday. Available video recordings show that “things went wrong when people were in front of the National Assembly, and a guard started shooting from the premises.
“Some people ran away, but a few then stormed the gates and entered the premises, shouting and throwing stones, trashing the glass windows of the building. No people were attacked. Police had started firing tear gas on the demonstrators, and the chaos was complete,” she told CMC.
She said groups then started going through the city looting and that “all parties in Suriname have condemned looting but have also called on the government to change policy and not to shift the emphasis.”
Meanwhile, the opposition Progressive Workers’ and Farmers Union (PALU) Monday condemned the looting and destruction committed last Friday. Still, they said it believed that the criminal acts “divert attention from the super bad government policy…which was the direct cause of the popular protest. “The country’s problems have become unbearable for many. And to make those problems worse, the government doesn’t seem to respond well to the crisis created by a criminal impoverishment policy,” the party said in a statement.
“The PALU calls on the authorities to investigate thoroughly whether the organized looting was planned, identify and prosecute those responsible,” the party said, also noting that in his statement condemning the looting and violence, President Santokhi “devoted only a few words to the bad government policy that was the immediate cause.
“For the umpteenth time, promises have been made about how the government is working to bring relief. With this, the President has indicated that the current lousy government policy of deliberately impoverishing the people will be continued.
“The PALU is deeply concerned about the President’s chosen approach. The PALU, therefore, calls on the President to adopt an approach that creates an atmosphere of dialogue and genuine listening to the people.”
Surinamese authorities have since imposed a 6.00 pm to 6. oo am (local time) curfew in the capital,
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