PARAMARIBO, Suriname– President Chandrikapersad Santokhi says the issue of land rights remains a top priority for his administration even as indigenous people say they have been waiting for a very long time for recognition and intend to increase the pressure on the government to do so.
The “Day of the Natives” will be observed here on Tuesday and President Santokhi, who was the guest of honor at the opening of the Indigenous festival in Wit Santi village over the last weekend, acknowledged the role played by indigenous people in the socio-economic development of the Ditch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
“The indigenous people or the original inhabitants of Suriname are the first to have lived and worked in this country,” he told the ceremony, adding that the issue of land rights is still high on the government’s agenda.
In a report on the visit, the Suriname Communications Service (SCS) said that the Village head, Patrick Mande, took the opportunity to raise the land rights of indigenous and other tribal peoples.
But one-day after Santokhi’s visit, indigenous peoples from different parts of the country said they intend to pressure the government in the coming month, saying they are tired of waiting for recognition of their land rights.
At a meeting of the Organization of Cooperating Indigenous Villages and Comedienne (Osip) on Sunday, the groups said they intend to adopt a different strategy to get the government to act.
“We are going to take a different approach from today. If the government does not want to recognize us, we will recognize ourselves,” Osip’s leader, Captain Lloyd Read, told the meeting.
“We are not going to apply for land in our villages, and we are not going to register for it either. We’re not crazy. It’s already ours, and we don’t ask anyone’s permission for it. I’m never going to accept that, and I assume other natives won’t either,” Read said.
“We owe it to our children and children’s children. We have been fooled all the time by various governments. If we don’t fight now, our children will never forgive us,” the Osip’s leader said.
Read said the indigenous people had shown more than enough patience in recent years, displaying documents, letters, and petitions submitted to the government.
“So, we haven’t been sitting still. We have sought our rights nationally and internationally. But even the judgment handed down by the International Court of Human Rights has so far not been implemented by the government,” said Read.
The ruling in 2016 was to be fully implemented within three years. However, this has failed to materialize so far.
Osip said that to force the government to carry out the ICJ ruling, it would soon embark upon several initiatives, including holding consultations with various groups such as the trade union movement, women’s organizations, and churches to raise awareness among the entire community. “People need to know that a group here in Suriname is being wronged and threatened. And we are going to ask them to support us.
“We are increasingly oppressed. We have allowed and allowed too much. That’s giving us problems at the moment. So, we want to straighten that out once and for all. We are ready for anything. We are willing to accept anything that comes our way. If we don’t, we as indigenous people are doomed. We are prepared to fight to the bitter end,” Read added.
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