During the past week, a slew of political parties officially launched their election campaigns in Suriname ahead of general elections slated for next May. But even as silly seasons starts, incumbent President Desi Bouterse could head to jail for mass murder before locals go to the polls.
Bouterse, 74, was army chief and military strongman in December 1982 when soldiers rounded up 15 critics of his military-led government and executed them at a fort right next door to the presidential office and palace. The 15 had included four journalists, clergy men, labor leaders and academics, all accused of plotting with the west and other reactionaries to reverse a February 1980 coup that had toppled the controversial government of prime minister Henck Arron.
Over the decades, rights group and surviving relatives have pushed and pushed until they managed to get Bouterse and 24 other ex soldiers and civilians charged mostly with mass murder. A few have been sentenced to various amounts of time in prison, several have died while others like Bouterse, two time president of the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community nation, patiently but nervously wait on the country’s final court to hand down extended sentences.
Earlier this month, a court threw out a motion by Bouterse’s lawyer, Irwin Kanhai, to quash the court recommendation that he be sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the executions. Bouterse has persistently and staunchly denied ordering any of the executions but has accepted collective and political responsibility for being the leader of the 1980 revolution-coup that eventually led to the executions.
Kanhai had asked the court of justice to terminate criminal proceedings against Bouterse, contending no one in the history of the republic has had to live with and endure the wait of more than a year to be sentenced, contending that such was highly unusual and punishing. In this case it is the head of state and government. “Failure to close is currently being abused and this abuse cannot be used to wait a year and not to perform any procedural action. Moreover, there is no prospect of a date of the judgment,” the attorney said as the court threw out his motion.
The result is that the court could hand down its sentence any day it chooses. Widespread speculation is that the judges could drop it on him and other defendants at a time when it could hurt and hinder his third term campaign ahead of elections in late May.
Hugo Essed, the attorney for relatives, is adamant that there is nothing in the law at this stage that could prevent Bouterse from serving his time including a parliamentary amnesty for those involved. He says the president does not enjoy criminal immunity so he would have to serve if the court so rules.
Like neighboring Guyana which will likely become an oil producer in December, next year’s polls are being regarded as the mother of all elections as the country is also expected to find large amounts of oil. Most of Guyana’s large offshore oil fields are just across the border with Suriname. Expectations there are high that the country will also cash in and whichever party wins will likely control the nation for years to come.
The battle to keep the head of state in office comes as a number of political parties are negotiating with each other to form coalition groups to prevent Bouterse’s mass based National Democratic Party from winning a majority of 26 out of 51 seats, allowing him to form the next government.
The pack includes the Hindustani VHP party and ABOP, representing proud Maroons living in the southeast near the French Guiana border. Suriname is the second to last nation to join the 15-member Caribbean trade bloc. Haiti is the last. The two are the only ones that are non-English speaking.
