Desi Bouterse is no ”People’s hero”/Thief/Dictator/Criminal against Humanity/[Letter to the Editor]

ANP

https://nos.nl/artikel/2549595-surinaamse-oud-president-desi-bouterse-79-overleden

EX PRESIDENT DESI BOUTERSE

DESI BOUTERSE IS NO ”PEOPLE’S HERO”/THIEF/DICTATOR/CRININAL

AGAINST HUMANITY/[LETTER TO THE EDITOR]

INTRODUCTION:

Dear Readers,

There she is again!

Also This Year the Struggle against injustice continues!

To begin with an old, unpleasant Enemy, the Surinamese ex president Desi Bouterse, who died

just before Christmas, in 2024 [1]

You know?

The ex coupist, former Commander in Chief of the Surinamese Army

and dictator, before hecame president, responsible for torture, terror and

executions, among else the Decembermurders, for which he finally has been convicted. [2]

I saw his passing as the closure of one of the ugliest periods of the

recent Surinamese history, even though there was no real justice, since

after his definitive conviction, Bouterse fled and his whereabouts were

not known….[3]

But Surprise, Surprise……..

Bouterse, from whom could be said [and then it’s very mildly spoken…..] that he

was ”controversial’ [4]’, was almost immediately ”praised”

So in the Nationale Assemblee, the Sujrinamese Parliament, was spoken

of ”the ideals of Bouterse”, he was called a ”great son of the country”, a ”determined leader”

and so on [5]

He was also praised by all sorts of people for his socalled ”social commitment

to the people” [6], although critical voices were heard also! [7]

Barbadian prime minister Mottley went out of her way

to praise Desi Bouterse, calling him a ”freedom fighter” [funny praise

for someone who has been a dictator!] and ”one of the most charismatic

leaders” of the Carribean Community! [Mottley means ”CARICOM’, the organisation of Carribean countries]'[8]

This whole ”sanctification” but shows the shortlived memory of people!

Memorial services were held for Desi Bouterse as if he were a second

Martin Luther King! [9]

I was so indignant about that stupid narrative, that I decided to ”rise up”

and avenge the victims of the Bouterse regime [10], but not only them:

Also all the Trouble which Bouterse brought on Suriname, by firstly introducing

social reforms [what Bouterse really did!], which – admittedly- improved

the life of the poorest.

On the other hand the Bouterse government spent the State money that irresponsibly, that now [january 2025!] Suriname is near bankrupt! ‘[11]

What concerns the ”Avenging” Victims:

I DID IT, AS PROMISED!

By the way of a Letter to the Editor, as well to Dutch, Surinamese as

international papers!

See some examples under note 12!

What pleased your ”Avenger” very much was that her ”Letter to the Editor”

had been published by ”De Ware Tijd” [Translation in English: The True Time”],

a Surinamese newpaper! 

See under note 13!

Whether any Dutch paper or the international newpapers have published my

Letter to the Editor, I don’t know.

But I wanted to share my Letter to the Editor with you!

So here it comes, right below the notes!

May all Political Villains, who have committed warcrimes and crimes against

humanity, receive their true punishment!

https://www.icc-cpi.int

ASTRID ESSED

NOTES

NOTE 1

NOTE 2

NOTE 3

NOTE 4

NOTE 5

NOTE 6

NOTE 7

NOTE 8

NOTE 9

NOTE 10

NOTE 11

NOTE 12

NOTE 13

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor,

Dear Editor,

Shortly before Christmas former Surinamese president Desi Bouterse died

at the age of 79.

And almost immediately he was depicted as a sort of Saint by ”

birds of various feathers”

So in the Surinamese parliament, the ”Nationale Assemblee”,

Bouterse was called ”a courageous leader”, a ”great son” and ”inspiring”

Others called him a ”People’s hero’, the man, who pursued social reforms,

a man, ”who fought for the poor”.

Many people, including the prime minister of Barbados, mrs Mottley [who

gave a statement at the death of ex president Bouterse], called Desi Bouterse

”charismatic”

Memorial services were being held, as in Suriname as in the Netherlands

[Suriname’s former colonizer, where many Surinamese live nowadays]

and not a few numer of people let their tears flow freely and recalled Bouterse’s 

”social engagement”

Now it is true, that in his time as president, Bouterse pursued a number of

social reforms, which meant a lot for many people in a poor country 

like Suriname, but there was handled irresponsibly with the financial

resources of the country with as a consequence, that after two periods of

presidency, Bouterse plunged Suriname into near-bankruptcy.

And not to forget:

Bouterse greatly enriched himself and his political friends at the cost

of the Surinamese people.

We call that theft and corruption!

People should realize that yet apart from the misery he brought to

thousands and thousands of young peole with the opening of

the country to the drug trade.

But there is more….

Bouterse appeared on the Surinamese political scene as the leader

of the 25 february 1980 military coup, with which he overthrew the

democratic system.

After an initial false-friendly Period, soon sordid human rights violations

made their appearance:

The death, after a suspicious police intrrogation, of alleged contra coup plotter,

the Surinamese ex KNIL [former Dutch colonial Army in then Dutch East Indies,

since 1948 Indonesia] military Fred Ormskerk [1980], the arrest and detention without trial of former politicians, the execution of contra coup plotter major Hawker [march 1982], with as one of the darkest events, the arrest and extrajudicial execution [after torture] of fifteen political opponents of

the Bouterse military regime, theDecembermurders [december 1982]!

The two courageous women’s marches as a protest against the Decembermurders must be mentioned here and deserve an honourable

page in Surinamese history!

Then major Horb, former right hand man of Bouterse, died under suspicious

circumstances in a police cell, after his arrest. [ February 1983]

After the Decembermurders, Bouterse c.s. established a dictatorship,

that would last until 1987, when the first free elections took place.

During the civil war with former bodyguard Brunswijk [leader of

the Jungle Commando], one of the worst human rights violations

under Bouterse took place:

In the maroon village Moiwana, more then 39 civilians were

killed by the National Army under responsibility of commander in Chief, Desi

Bouterse/A mass slaughter and crime against humanity!

In 1987 Bouterse established his political party NDP [that led a big defeat

at the 1987 elections!] and during the years Bouterse made himself popular

with populist and nice sounding speeches, presents to his political fans and

some social reforms.

That may be so, but fact remains, that Bouterse and co are guilty of

theft, torture, executions and mass slaughter: Crimes against humanity.

Because of the ”Saint Declaration” of Bouterse, this Letter is written.

So that his crimes will not be forgotten.

Astrid Essed

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

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NOTE 13/No Sanctification for Villains!

[13]

PUBLICATION ON THE SURINAMESE NEWS;PAPER ”DE WARE TIJD”

[TRANSLATION: THE TRUE TIME]]

DE WARE TIJD

DESI BOUTERSE GEEN ”VOLKSHELD”

ASTRID ESSED

7 JANUARY 2025

INGEZONDEN

Kort vóór Kerstmis overleed ex-president Desi Bouterse op 79-jarige leeftijd. En vrijwel direct na zijn overlijden kreeg hij door vogels van diverse pluimage een bijna ‘heiligenstatus’ toebedeeld. Zo werd er in De Nationale Assemblee [het Surinaamse parlement] gesproken over Bouterse als “moedige leider”, “grote zoon” en “inspirerend”. Anderen weer zagen hem als “volksheld”, de man, die sociale hervormingen doorvoer en “vocht” voor de armen.

Er werden herdenkingsbijeenkomsten georganiseerd, zowel in Suriname als in Nederland en een niet onaanzienlijk aantal mensen liet hun tranen de vrije loop en memoreerde zijn sociale inzet. Nu was het inderdaad zo dat tijdens de regeerperiode van Bouterse als president een aantal sociale verbeteringen is doorgevoerd, die in een arm land als Suriname zeker verlichting boden, maar er werd onverantwoordelijk met ’s lands financiële middelen omgesprongen, waardoor Bouterse Suriname na twee regeerperioden praktisch bankroet achterliet.

“Vanwege de ‘heiligverklaring’ van Bouterse is dit stuk geschreven. Opdat zijn misdaden en de rampzalige stempel, die hij op Suriname heeft gedrukt, niet worden vergeten”

Daarbij verrijkte hij zichzelf en zijn politieke vrienden enorm, waardoor hij het Surinaamse volk schandalig heeft bestolen. Dat zouden de mensen zich moeten realiseren, nog afgezien van de ellende, die hij over duizenden jongeren heeft gebracht door de openstelling van Suriname voor de drugshandel.

Maar er is meer: Bouterse verscheen op Surinames politieke toneel als leider van de militaire coup op 25 februari 1980, waarmee hij het democratische staatsbestel omverwierp. Na een aanvankelijk vals-vriendelijk gezicht kwamen al snel kwalijke mensenrechtenschendingen:

De dood, na een verdacht politieverhoor van would be tegencouppleger, de Surinaamse ex-KNIL-militair Fred Ormskerk [1980], arrestatie en opsluiting zonder vorm van proces van voormalige politieke leiders, de executie van de gewonde op een brancard liggende tegencouper sergeant majoor Hawker [maart 1982], met als dieptepunt de standrechtelijke executie van vijftien politieke tegenstanders van het militaire regime-Bouterse, de zogenoemde Decembermoorden.

Niet uitvlakken wil ik hier het moedige verpleegstersprotest daags na de Decembermoorden. Ook overleed een voormalig medestander en rechterhand van Bouterse, majoor Horb, onder verdachte omstandigheden in een politiecel [1983].

Bouterse cs vestigden een dictatuur, die zou voortduren tot de eerste verkiezingen in 1987. In de met Brunswijk [leider Jungle Commando] uitgevochten Binnenlandse Oorlog zijn in het marrondorp Moiwana onder verantwoordelijkheid van Bouterse als legerbevelhebber meer dan 39 burgers gedood. Een massaslachting dus.

Na een aantal jaren richtte Desi Bouterse zijn partij de NDP op, maakte zich populair door mooie toespraken en enkele doorgevoerde sociale verbeteringen. Laat niet onverlet, dat Bouterse en co zich schuldig hebben gemaakt aan foltering, diefstal, executies en massamoord; misdaden tegen de menselijkheid.

Vanwege de ‘heiligverklaring’ van Bouterse is dit stuk geschreven. Opdat zijn misdaden en de rampzalige stempel, die hij op Suriname heeft gedrukt, niet worden vergeten.

Astrid Essed

SEE ALSO

[[LINK WITH: PUBLICATION BY ”DE WARE TIJD” [THE TRUE TIME”]/DESI BOUTERSE NO ”PEOPLE’S HERO”

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NOTE 12/No Sanctification for Villains!

[12]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR IN DUTCH

TITLE:

DESI BOUTERSE GEEN ”VOLKSHELD”/DIEF/DICTATOR/MISDADIGER TEGEN DE MENSELIJKHEID

[TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH: DESI BOUTERSE NO ”PEOPLE’S HERO”/THIEF/DICTATOR/CRIMINAL AGAINST HUMANITY”]

TEXT IN DUTCH:

INGEZONDEN STUK

Geachte Redactie,

Kort voor Kerstmis overleed ex president Desi Bouterse op 79 jarige leeftijd.

En vrijwel direct na zijn overlijden kreeg hij door vogels van diverse pluimage,

een bijna ‘heiligenstatus” toebedeeld. 

Zo werd er in de Nationale Assemblee [het Surinaamse parlement], gesproken

over Bouterse als ”moedige leider”, ”grote zoon” en ”inspirerend”

Anderen weer zagen hem als ”volksheld”, de man, die sociale hervormingen

doorvoer en ”vocht” voor de armen.

Er werden herdenkingsbijeenkomsten georganiseerd, zowel in Suriname

als in Nederland en een niet onaanzienlijk aantal mensen liet hun tranen

de vrije loop, en memoreerde zijn sociale inzet.

Nu was het inderdaad zo, dat tijdens de regeerperiode

van Bouterse als president een aantal sociale verbeteringen is doorgevoerd,

die in een arm land als Suriname zeker verlichting boden, maar er werd

onverantwoordelijk met ’s lands financiele middelen omgesprongen, waardoor

Bouterse Suriname na twee regeerperioden praktisch bankroet achterliet.

Daarbij verrijkte hij zichzelf en zijn politieke vrienden enorm, waardoor hij

het Surinaamse volk schandalig heeft bestolen.

Dat zouden de mensen zich moeten realiseren, nog afgezien van de

ellende, die hij over duizenden jongeren heeft gebracht door de openstelling

van Suriname voor de drugshandel.

Maar er is meer:

Bouterse verscheen op Suriname’s politieke toneel als leider van de 

militaire coup op 25 februari 1980, waarmee hij het democratische staatsbestel

omverwierp.

Na een aanvankelijk vals-vriendelijk gezicht kwamen al snel kwalijke

mensenrechtenschendingen:

De dood, na een verdacht politieverhoor van would be tegencouppleger de Surinaamse ex KNIL militair Ormskirk [1980], arrestatie en opsluiting zonder vorm van proces van voormalige politieke leiders, de executie van de gewonde op een brancard liggende tegencouper sergeant majoor Hawker [maart 1982],

met als dieptepunt de standrechtelijke executie van 15 politieke tegenstanders

van het militaire regime Bouterse, de zgn Decembermoorden.

Niet uitvlakken wil ik hier het moedige verpleegstersprotest daags na de Decembermoorden

Ook overleed een voormalig medestander en rechterhand van Bouterse, 

majoor Horb onder verdachte omstandigheden in een politiecel [1983]

Bouterse c.s. vestigden een dictatuur, die zou voortduren tot de eerste verkiezingen in 1987.

In de met Brunswijk [leider Junglecommando] uitgevochten Binnenlandse Oorlog zijn in het marrondorp Moiwana onder verantwoordelijkheid van

Bouterse als legerbevelhebber meer dan 39 burgers gedood. Een massaslachting dus.

Na een aantal jaren richtte D. Bouterse zijn partij de NDP op, maakte

zich populair door mooie toespraken en enkele doorgevoerde sociale verbeteringen.

Laat niet onverlet, dat Bouterse en co zich schuldig hebben gemaakt aan

foltering, diefstal, executies en massamoord/Misdaden tegen de menselijkheid.

Vanwege de ”heiligverklaring” van Bouterse is dit Stuk geschreven.

Opdat zijn misdaden en het rampzalige stempel, dat hij op Suriname heeft

gedrukt, niet worden vergeten

Astrid Essed

Amsterdam 

SEE LINK [IN DUTCH]

TO THE DUTCH NEWSPAPER ”HET PAROOL”

TO SURINAMESE NEWPAPERS

[SOME EXAMPLES]

AND

TO  INTERNATIONAL NEWPAPERS

[SOME EXAMPLES]

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NOTE 11/No Sanctification for Villains!

[11]

”During his presidency Dési Bouterse introduced universal health care, free school meals, a minimum wage and a national pension scheme.[61] At the same time, rising government expenditures led to large budget deficits and rampant inflation, while the Surinamese dollar was devalued several times in 2016 by more than half of its value.”

WIKIPEDIA

DESI BOUTERSE/PRESIDENT OF SURINAME (2010-2020)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9si_Bouterse#President_of_Suriname_(2010%E2%80%932020)

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

DESI BOUTERSE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9si_Bouterse

THE NEW YORK TIMES

DESI BOUTERSE, FUGITIVE FORMER DICTATOR OF SURINAME, DIES

AT 79

25 DECEMBER 2024

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/world/americas/bouterse-suriname-dead.html

He took power in a military coup in 1980 and later served as the country’s president. He was also convicted of ordering the murder of 15 political opponents.

Desi Bouterse, the brutal former dictator turned populist president of Suriname who was convicted of murdering some of his political opponents, has died. He was 79.

Ronnie Brunswijk, the country’s vice president, who was Mr. Bouterse’s former bodyguard and later his rival, confirmed the death in a post on Facebook. The post said Mr. Bouterse had died on Tuesday, but did not say where or give a cause. News media in Suriname, a small South American nation, reported that Mr. Bouterse had been suffering from an undisclosed illness.

Mr. Bouterse was a divisive figure in the former Dutch colony of Suriname: a national hero to some and a brutal dictator to others.

Born to a poor family in Suriname’s sugar belt on Oct. 13, 1945, he dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Dutch Army.

Mr. Bouterse seized power in a military coup in 1980 — five years after the country’s independence from the Netherlands — and ruled Suriname through terror. In 1982, fearing a countercoup, he ordered his soldiers to round up, torture and execute 15 prominent dissidents. The victims included journalists, professors, lawyers and others.

The killings, which have become known as the “December Murders,” traumatized the country and prompted the Netherlands to suspend economic and military cooperation with its former colony.

Mr. Brunswijk, his onetime bodyguard, led a guerrilla war against Mr. Bouterse that started in 1986. The bloody civil war ultimately led to the end of Mr. Bouterse’s rule and helped usher in democracy.

Suriname held its first post-coup elections in 1987 and returned to civilian rule in 1988.

Mr. Bouterse stayed on as the head of the army until he resigned in 1990, saying that he didn’t feel the Surinamese government sufficiently backed the military.

As a civilian, he got rich through timber and gold dealings while remaining a major force in Suriname’s politics. He formed the National Democratic Party, which over time grew from a military clique into the country’s first major multiethnic political movement.

But the shadow of the “December Murders” continued to loom: In 2007, Suriname’s military court initiated a case against Mr. Bouterse and 24 other defendants. Mr. Bouterse that year said he accepted “political responsibility” for the killings, but denied direct involvement.

The trial would last for more than 15 years, and during that time Mr. Bouterse reinvented himself as the country’s populist champion. In 2010, he won a national election and swept back into power as president.

Rather than playing down his checkered past — which included a 1999 conviction in absentia in the Netherlands for smuggling cocaine into the country — Mr. Bouterse celebrated it.

After assuming the presidency, Mr. Bouterse also began to remake Suriname’s governing institutions. He put his wife on the payroll for her duties as first lady and appointed his son to a counterterrorism unit. He showered supporters with cheap houses and food, spending that left the country practically bankrupt and forced the government to raid banking reserves to import food.

Mr. Bouterse also shifted Suriname’s alliances away from the Netherlands, its former colonial ruler, toward China and nearby Venezuela.

He was re-elected president in 2015 to a term that included a murder conviction for his role in the December 1982 killings. Mr. Bouterse — who had earlier been granted immunity by Suriname’s parliament for any crimes he might have committed, including the December Murders — appealed the conviction.

His decades-long hold on power in Suriname ended in 2020 when Chan Santokhi, a former police chief and leader of the opposition, defeated him in an election.

Last year, a Surinamese court upheld Mr. Bouterse’s 2019 murder conviction — the final ruling in a 16-year legal process — and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

But Mr. Bouterse never served time.

This January, instead of surrendering to the authorities, Mr. Bouterse went into hiding.

“He’s not going to jail,” his wife, Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, told reporters at the time.

Mr. Bouterse apparently remained a fugitive until his death.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Bouterse’s survivors include two children, Dino and Peggy.

END

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NOTE 10/No Sanctification for Villains!

[10]

WIKIPEDIA

DECEMBER MURDERS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_murders

WIKIPEDIA

MOIWANA MASSACRE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moiwana_massacre

”Hawker was injured the next day and was taken to a military hospital. Bouterse’s soldiers arrested Hawker in the hospital and took him by stretcher to Fort Zeelandia.[5] There he was summarily tried and condemned to death for treason. Hawker was executed by firing squad, which was shown on a Surinamese television broadcast.”

WIKIPEDIA

WILFRED HAWKER

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Hawker

WIKIPEDIA

FRED ORMSKERK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Ormskerk

WIKIPEDIA 

ROY HORB

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Horb

SEE ALSO

AND

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NOTE 9/No Sanctification for Villains!

[9]

”Thousands gathered in Paramaribo on Saturday to pay their final respects to Desi Bouterse, the former Surinamese military leader, president, and convicted criminal who died in hiding at age 79.”

NL TIMES

SURINAME BIDS FAREWELL TO DESI BOUTERSE IN

PUBLIC MEMORIAL4 JANUARY 2025

https://nltimes.nl/2025/01/04/suriname-bids-farewell-desi-bouterse-public-memorial

Thousands gathered in Paramaribo on Saturday to pay their final respects to Desi Bouterse, the former Surinamese military leader, president, and convicted criminal who died in hiding at age 79. Bouterse passed away in January 2024, evading a 20-year prison sentence imposed in December 2023 for his role in the December Murders of 1982, in which 15 political opponents were executed under his military regime.

Bouterse’s death also drew significant attention in the Netherlands, where many Surinamese expatriates reside. A memorial service in Amsterdam-Zuidoost allowed mourners to follow the cremation via a livestream and sign a condolence register. The event was organized by the Friends of the NDP Netherlands and the Sons of Slaves Brotherhood.

In Paramaribo, the farewell began early Saturday morning at Bouterse’s residence in Leonsberg, a northern district of Paramaribo, where close family members paid their final respects. At 13:30 Dutch time, a funeral procession began a 40-kilometer tour through the area, passing significant locations tied to Bouterse’s controversial political and military career.

The procession ended at the headquarters of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which Bouterse founded and led for decades. There, supporters, colleagues, and dignitaries lined up on either side of the coffin to bid farewell from 15:00 onward.

At 20:00 local time, the funeral cortege departed for the crematorium, located less than 1.5 kilometers from the NDP headquarters. Police implemented road closures along the route to ensure a smooth passage. Authorities coordinated with funeral organizers to maintain security and prevent any unrest during the event

END

”Bouterse’s death also drew significant attention in the Netherlands, where many Surinamese expatriates reside. A memorial service in Amsterdam-Zuidoost allowed mourners to follow the cremation via a livestream and sign a condolence register. The event was organized by the Friends of the NDP Netherlands and the Sons of Slaves Brotherhood.”

NL TIMES

SURINAME BIDS FAREWELL TO DESI BOUTERSE IN

PUBLIC MEMORIAL4 JANUARY 2025

https://nltimes.nl/2025/01/04/suriname-bids-farewell-desi-bouterse-public-memorial

SEE FOR THE WHOLE TEXT OF THE ARTICLE, DIRECTLY ABOVE!

WIKIPEDIA

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.

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NOTE 8/No Sanctification for Villains!

[8]

WIKIPEDIA

MIA MOTTLEY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_Mottley

BARBADOS TODAY

PM MOTTLEY PAYS TRIBUTE TO FORMER SURINAMESE PRESIDENT

DESI BOUTERSE

25 DECEMBER 2024

https://barbadostoday.bb/2024/12/25/pm-mottley-pay-tribute-to-former-surinamese-president-desi-bouterse/

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has described former Surinamese President Desi Bouterse as one of the most charismatic leaders of the region.

Bouterse, died on Tuesday at the age of 79.

Below is the full text of Prime Minister Mottley’s tribute:

I have met many, many people in this job since I became Head of Government in May 2018. But there are some whose personality is so strong that they leave an indelible mark on all those with whom there has been interaction.

Desi Bouterse was one such man. His was a history ranging from freedom fighter to Head of State of the Republic of Suriname. Whether you agree with him or not, you would have to appreciate the force of his personality.

And, so as 2024 draws to a close the Caribbean Community bids farewell to one of its most charismatic leaders, the former President of the Republic of Suriname, Desi Bouterse, who dominated politics in the Republic of Suriname for four decades.

President Bouterse was the first of my CARICOM colleagues to engage with me during my first Heads Of Government Conference in July of 2018 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  It was through his eyes and heart that I learnt of the of the rich culture of this melting pot on the  South American continent and, thus began my love for the country and its people.

During my visits to Suriname, he took me all across the country, including the Brokopondo District, interacting with people from all walks of life in his unique way, whether it was to sing with the griots or to hug children who gathered around.

On my last visit to Suriname in July 2023 during the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference hosted by President Santokhi, I was privileged that Comrade Ralph and I were able to meet Desi and spend time with him much of which was with laughter; but, alas, who knew that would be our last time together.

When he and  his wife, Ingrid, upon learning about our country’s plans in 2020 to build Golden Square Freedom Park, both said a park needs benches so people can sit and enjoy what it has to offer.  And with this statement they immediately made a donation of wooden benches made from Surinamese wood as they wanted to enrich the bonds of friendship between our two nations.

I extend condolences on behalf of the people and Government of Barbados to his wife Ingrid, his children and the people of Suriname. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

END

OUR WORK

Find out how CARICOM drives change for the Community every day, across the region

CARICOM works in 15 Member States and 5 Associate Members  to create a community that is integrated, inclusive and resilient; driven by knowledge, excellence, innovation and productivity; a Community where every citizen is secure and has the opportunity to realise his or her potential with guaranteed human rights and social justice; and contributes to, and shares in, its economic, social and cultural prosperity ; a Community which is a unified and competitive force in the global arena.

CAROCOM.ORG

OUR WORK

https://caricom.org/our-work

ORIGINAL SOURCE

CARICOM.ORG

https://caricom.org

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[7]

For his opponents, he was a ruthless dictator who was convicted of drug trafficking and extrajudicial killings.

VOA NEWS

DESI BOUTERSE, DICTATOR, CONVICTED OF MURDER,

WHO RULED SURINAME, DIES AT 79

25 DECEMBER 2024

https://www.voanews.com/a/desi-bouterse-dictator-convicted-of-murder-who-ruled-suriname-dies-at-79/7913985.html

PARAMARIBO, SURINAME — 

Desi Bouterse, a military strongman who led a 1980 coup in the former Dutch colony of Suriname then returned to power by election three decades later despite charges of drug smuggling and murder, has died. He was 79.

Surinamese President Chan Santokhi on Wednesday reflected on Bouterse’s outsized legacy in a message of condolences to his family and called on the nation to “keep calm and maintain order.”

Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk wrote on Facebook that Bouterse’s “life had a lasting impact on our country and his efforts will not be forgotten.” The cause of death was not immediately known.

Bouterse was applauded by supporters for his charisma and populist social programs. For his opponents, he was a ruthless dictator who was convicted of drug trafficking and extrajudicial killings.

In December 2023, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders of 15 opponents of the then-military government in December 1982, ending a historic 16-year legal process. He then vanished and never served time in jail despite the sentencing.

“There is nobody who has shaped the history of Suriname since its independence like Desi Bouterse,” said Dutch historian Pepijn Reeser, who wrote a biography of Bouterse in 2015.

He said that Bouterse was the first to overcome the stark social class divide that once defined Suriname.

“Before the coup, it was unthinkable somebody from the lower class could become the most powerful man of the country. But he was also the first post-colonial leader to resort to political violence, and the first to use Suriname as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics,” Reeser said.

Early Wednesday, dozens of supporters gathered outside Bouterse’s home where his wife lived, tears streaming down their faces. Many were dressed in purple, the color of his political party.

Born Oct. 13, 1945, at a former sugar plantation near the capital, Paramaribo, Bouterse left for the Netherlands in 1968, as did thousands of other Surinamers in that era to seek adventure or a better life in Europe. Suriname was then still a colony, and as a Dutch citizen he was eligible for conscription, so he joined the armed forces a few months after arriving.

He graduated from the Royal Military School and served at several Dutch army bases in the Netherlands and Germany. Bouterse returned to Suriname two weeks before it became an independent republic on November 25, 1975, and joined its newly formed military.

The initial optimism of young military men in serving their own country quickly turned into frustration over widespread favoritism and corruption in the consecutive governments of Prime Minister Henck Arron. When Arron forbade the troops from unionizing, 16 young soldiers led by Bouterse overthrew the government on February 25, 1980, and made him the de facto ruler.

When promised democratic reforms did not materialize, opposition to Bouterse’s military regime grew rapidly. Frictions between the military and opposition groups culminated in the killing of 15 men on Dec. 8, 1982. The victims were journalists, lawyers, military and university teachers, and their slaying became known as the “December Murders.”

Shocked by the killings, the Netherlands suspended all development aid, disrupting life in Suriname. Ronnie Brunswijk, a former bodyguard of Bouterse, took up arms in 1986 in a bid to oust the dictator. For six years, the country’s jungles were torn by a civil war in which both sides violated human rights and hundreds died.

International isolation and the lack of domestic support for his military regime led Bouterse to accept free elections in November 1987. He established his own political movement, the National Democratic Party, but won only three of 51 seats in Parliament. Nonetheless, as commander of the armed forces, Bouterse kept a tight grip on the newly elected government of President Ramsewak Shankar.

Following a conflict between Bouterse and Shankar in 1990, the army seized power again, dismissing Shankar with a phone call. Civilian rule was restored the following year. Bouterse officially left Suriname’s army in 1993, and he became what he described as a fulltime politician and businessman.

In 1999, a Dutch court sentenced him in absentia to 11 years in prison for smuggling more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine to the Netherlands. The absence of an extradition treaty between the nations meant he never served his time in prison.

In 2007, Suriname’s military court started a trial against Bouterse and 24 others for their alleged roles in the December Murders of 1982.

Bouterse was painted as the chief instigator by the prosecution. He maintained he was not present during the executions, although he said he accepted “political responsibility” as army commander.

While the trial dragged on for more than a decade, the former military leader reinvented himself as a politician by preaching nationalism and attracting support from many ethnic groups in Suriname, whose people have African, Asian, Amerindian, European and Middle Eastern roots.

He was elected president for the first time in 2010. Instead of avoiding his past, he celebrated it. He quickly declared Feb. 25, the day of his military coup in 1980, a national holiday. He awarded other suspects in the December Murders case and coup plotters with high-ranking government jobs.

Inspired by the socialist politics of then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Bouterse continued construction of social housing, increased social welfare benefits and raised the government pension.

These popular measures secured his reelection for another five-year term in 2015 but also proved to be an unpayable burden for the state. Large budget deficits and rampant inflation ensued. Consecutive devaluations of the Surinamese dollar in 2016 resulted in the currency losing more than half of its value in just a year.

“The reckless economic policies of Bouterse have put a huge burden on our future generations, who are forced to repay millions of dollars of loans to international creditors,” Surinamese economist Winston Ramautarsing told The Associated Press in 2016.

With his support dwindling during his second term, Bouterse resorted to the tactics that he used during his dictatorship, including threatening the judges of his own murder trial during public events. History books for the country’s high schools that mentioned the December Murders were banned. He regularly fired Cabinet ministers while blaming them for Suriname’s problems.

In 2012, the Bouterse administration proclaimed an internationally criticized amnesty law for the December Murders in an attempt to halt the murder trial. However, the law was ruled inapplicable by the military court in 2016, and in June 2017, the prosecutor recommended a 20-year prison sentence for Bouterse.

“If it was God who made me president; who is this judge to try to send me away?” Bouterse said.

END

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NOTE 6/No Sanctification for Villains!

[6]

”Bouterse was applauded by supporters for his charisma and populist social programs.”

VOANEWS

DESI BOUTERSE, DICTATOR, CONVICTED OF MURDER, WHO RULED SURINAME, DIES AT 79

25 DECEMBER 2024

https://www.voanews.com/a/desi-bouterse-dictator-convicted-of-murder-who-ruled-suriname-dies-at-79/7913985.html

PARAMARIBO, SURINAME — 

Desi Bouterse, a military strongman who led a 1980 coup in the former Dutch colony of Suriname then returned to power by election three decades later despite charges of drug smuggling and murder, has died. He was 79.

Surinamese President Chan Santokhi on Wednesday reflected on Bouterse’s outsized legacy in a message of condolences to his family and called on the nation to “keep calm and maintain order.”

Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk wrote on Facebook that Bouterse’s “life had a lasting impact on our country and his efforts will not be forgotten.” The cause of death was not immediately known.

Bouterse was applauded by supporters for his charisma and populist social programs. For his opponents, he was a ruthless dictator who was convicted of drug trafficking and extrajudicial killings.

In December 2023, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders of 15 opponents of the then-military government in December 1982, ending a historic 16-year legal process. He then vanished and never served time in jail despite the sentencing.

“There is nobody who has shaped the history of Suriname since its independence like Desi Bouterse,” said Dutch historian Pepijn Reeser, who wrote a biography of Bouterse in 2015.

He said that Bouterse was the first to overcome the stark social class divide that once defined Suriname.

“Before the coup, it was unthinkable somebody from the lower class could become the most powerful man of the country. But he was also the first post-colonial leader to resort to political violence, and the first to use Suriname as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics,” Reeser said.

Early Wednesday, dozens of supporters gathered outside Bouterse’s home where his wife lived, tears streaming down their faces. Many were dressed in purple, the color of his political party.

Born Oct. 13, 1945, at a former sugar plantation near the capital, Paramaribo, Bouterse left for the Netherlands in 1968, as did thousands of other Surinamers in that era to seek adventure or a better life in Europe. Suriname was then still a colony, and as a Dutch citizen he was eligible for conscription, so he joined the armed forces a few months after arriving.

He graduated from the Royal Military School and served at several Dutch army bases in the Netherlands and Germany. Bouterse returned to Suriname two weeks before it became an independent republic on November 25, 1975, and joined its newly formed military.

The initial optimism of young military men in serving their own country quickly turned into frustration over widespread favoritism and corruption in the consecutive governments of Prime Minister Henck Arron. When Arron forbade the troops from unionizing, 16 young soldiers led by Bouterse overthrew the government on February 25, 1980, and made him the de facto ruler.

When promised democratic reforms did not materialize, opposition to Bouterse’s military regime grew rapidly. Frictions between the military and opposition groups culminated in the killing of 15 men on Dec. 8, 1982. The victims were journalists, lawyers, military and university teachers, and their slaying became known as the “December Murders.”

Shocked by the killings, the Netherlands suspended all development aid, disrupting life in Suriname. Ronnie Brunswijk, a former bodyguard of Bouterse, took up arms in 1986 in a bid to oust the dictator. For six years, the country’s jungles were torn by a civil war in which both sides violated human rights and hundreds died.

International isolation and the lack of domestic support for his military regime led Bouterse to accept free elections in November 1987. He established his own political movement, the National Democratic Party, but won only three of 51 seats in Parliament. Nonetheless, as commander of the armed forces, Bouterse kept a tight grip on the newly elected government of President Ramsewak Shankar.

Following a conflict between Bouterse and Shankar in 1990, the army seized power again, dismissing Shankar with a phone call. Civilian rule was restored the following year. Bouterse officially left Suriname’s army in 1993, and he became what he described as a fulltime politician and businessman.

In 1999, a Dutch court sentenced him in absentia to 11 years in prison for smuggling more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine to the Netherlands. The absence of an extradition treaty between the nations meant he never served his time in prison.

In 2007, Suriname’s military court started a trial against Bouterse and 24 others for their alleged roles in the December Murders of 1982.

Bouterse was painted as the chief instigator by the prosecution. He maintained he was not present during the executions, although he said he accepted “political responsibility” as army commander.

While the trial dragged on for more than a decade, the former military leader reinvented himself as a politician by preaching nationalism and attracting support from many ethnic groups in Suriname, whose people have African, Asian, Amerindian, European and Middle Eastern roots.

He was elected president for the first time in 2010. Instead of avoiding his past, he celebrated it. He quickly declared Feb. 25, the day of his military coup in 1980, a national holiday. He awarded other suspects in the December Murders case and coup plotters with high-ranking government jobs.

Inspired by the socialist politics of then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Bouterse continued construction of social housing, increased social welfare benefits and raised the government pension.

These popular measures secured his reelection for another five-year term in 2015 but also proved to be an unpayable burden for the state. Large budget deficits and rampant inflation ensued. Consecutive devaluations of the Surinamese dollar in 2016 resulted in the currency losing more than half of its value in just a year.

“The reckless economic policies of Bouterse have put a huge burden on our future generations, who are forced to repay millions of dollars of loans to international creditors,” Surinamese economist Winston Ramautarsing told The Associated Press in 2016.

With his support dwindling during his second term, Bouterse resorted to the tactics that he used during his dictatorship, including threatening the judges of his own murder trial during public events. History books for the country’s high schools that mentioned the December Murders were banned. He regularly fired Cabinet ministers while blaming them for Suriname’s problems.

In 2012, the Bouterse administration proclaimed an internationally criticized amnesty law for the December Murders in an attempt to halt the murder trial. However, the law was ruled inapplicable by the military court in 2016, and in June 2017, the prosecutor recommended a 20-year prison sentence for Bouterse.

“If it was God who made me president; who is this judge to try to send me away?” Bouterse said.

END

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NOTE 5/No Sanctification for Villains!

[5]

TEXT IN DUTCH, ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW

STARNIEUWS

1 MINUUT STILTE IN DNA BIJ DOOD BOUTERSE

29 DECEMBER 2024

https://www.starnieuws.com/index.php/welcome/index/nieuwsitem/84338

De Nationale Assemblee stond zaterdag tijdens de openbare vergadering stil bij het overlijden van Desi Bouterse die jarenlang lid is geweest van het college en fractieleider was van de NDP. Ook was hij twee termijnen president van Suriname. Er is geen onvertogen woord gevallen in De Nationale Assemblee, die ook 1 minuut stilte in acht heeft genomen. Alle fracties, de Assembleevoorzitter en de regering hebben hun medeleven betuigd met de familie en de NDP.

Assembleevoorzitter Marinus Bee opende de rij der sprekers en had het over een collectief verdriet, waarbij eenheid en respect van belang zijn. Hij riep op om vast te houden aan het positieve. Ronny Asabina, fractieleider van de BEP, zei dat een markante Surinamer is heengegaan. Hij was voor velen een bron van inspiratie. Hij heeft als een bijzondere Surinamer zijn stempel op vele terreinen gedrukt. Hij riep namens zijn partij op om de idealen van Bouterse te koesteren.

De fractieleider van Pertjajah Luhur, Evert Karto, toonde zijn respect voor de overledene. Een grote Surinamer is heengegaan. Hij was onlosmakelijk verbonden aan de geschiedenis van het land en heeft een diepe indruk achtergelaten. Hij was een vastberaden leider die grote uitdagingen is aangegaan. Zijn leiderschap ging gepaard met zware verantwoordelijkheid, waarbij keuzen moesten worden gemaakt. Er moeten lessen geleerd worden uit het verleden en gebouwd worden aan een rechtvaardige toekomst.

Edgar Sampie zei namens ABOP dat Bouterse een grote zoon was van het land. In en buiten Suriname is zijn heengaan een groot verlies. Hij prees zijn moed en durf in goede en slechte tijden. Sampie bracht in herinnering dat zijn voorzitter, vicepresident Ronnie Brunswijk, en Bouterse een lange geschiedenis hebben gedeeld. Zijn inspiratie moet gebruikt worden om het land op te bouwen. Ivanildo Plein van de NPS bracht zijn condoleances over aan de familie, vrienden en de dierbaren van de overledene en wenste hen sterkte toe met het verlies. 

Asis Gajadien, fractieleider van de VHP, zei dat het land geconfronteerd is geworden met het plotselinge heengaan. Er is veel discussie geweest en er spelen veel emoties. Het is niet aan hem of de VHP om te oordelen. Dat ligt aan hogere machten. Hier op aarde is het de taak om in alle rust en alle eerbied zaken af te handelen. Hij condoleerde de weduwe Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, zijn kinderen, andere familieleden en de NDP en wenste hen veel sterkte toe. Namens de regering betuigde minister Krishna Mathoera haar sympathie met De Nationale Assemblee en de NDP-fractie.

“De leider van de Revolutie, gewezen voorzitter, erevoorzitter van de NDP,  lid van De Nationale Assemblee, tevens president van de Republiek Suriname, onze geestesvader en nestor, de heer Desiré Delano Bouterse is ons plotseling komen te ontvallen. Nationaal en internationaal erkend als een groot en inspirerende progressieve leider voor jonge natiestaten”, zei Rabin Parmessar, fractieleider van de NDP.

“Zijn nalatenschap blijft een baken voor ons werken, bewustwording en dekolonisatie van onze samenleving.
Wij zullen zijn visie en idealen met vastberadenheid voortzetten en zijn droom van een sterker en verenigd Suriname levend houden. Zijn visie was groot, zijn droom voor ons land puur, waarbij hij tevens zocht naar een vreedzame wereld gebaseerd op duurzame internationale principes en internationaal recht.

Desiré Delano Bouterse is op weg naar het Grote Licht, moge zijn ziel in vrede rusten; zijn werk hier is voldaan, maar hij blijft voortleven in onze idealen en in elke positieve daad voor duurzame ontwikkeling, daar zijn nalatenschap zal blijven als een eeuwige belofte aan ons aller geliefd land en volk.

Wij wensen zijn echtgenote, familie, partij leden, sympathisanten van de NDP en allen die geraakt zijn door dit groot verlies veel sterkte. Wij bedanken de familie in het bijzonder zijn echtgenote en kinderen, dat zij hem met ons hebben gedeeld. Een grote zoon en groot nationalist met zijn hart op de juiste plaats voor Suriname is ons voorgegaan! Hij zal altijd bij ons zijn; zijn legacy is nu deel van ons!”

EINDE

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

STARNIEUWS

1 MINUTE SILENCE IN DNA [DE NATIONALE ASSEMBLEE, THE SURINAMESE

PARLIAMENT] AT THE DEATH OF BOUTERSE

LINK IN DUTCH

https://www.starnieuws.com/index.php/welcome/index/nieuwsitem/84338

During the public parliamentary meeting the Nationale Assemblee 

reflected for a while on the death of Desi Bouterse, a yearlong member

of the parliament and faction leader of his political party, the NDP.

He was also for two terms president of Suriname.

Not a word of disapproval was uttered in the Nationale Assemblee, that

also took one minute of silence, out of respect.

All factions of the political parties, the Chairman of the Nationale Assemblee included as the government, have given condolences to his family and the NDP.

Assemblee Charman Marinus Bee was the first speaker and referred to a

collective grief and the importance of unity and respect.

He called for holding on positivity.

Ronny Asabina, faction leader of the political party BEP said, that a person

of significance had passed away.

For many he was a source of inspiration.

As a remarkable Surinamese leader he made his mark on many segments

of society.

On behalf of his party he called on to cherish the ideals of Bouterse.

Evert Karto, factionleader of the political party Pertjajah Luhur,

showed his respect for the deceased.

A great Surinamese leader has passed away.

He was inseparably connected with the history of the country and has

left behind a deep impression.

He was a determined leader, who has taken on major challenges.

His leadership was accompanied by great responsibility in which choices

had to be made.

Lessons must be learned from the past to build a just future.

On behalf of the political party ABOP Edgar Sampie said, that Bouterse was

a great son of the country.

He praised his courage and guts in good and bad times.

Sampie reminded that his Chairman, vice president Ronnie Brunswijk and

Bouterse shared a long history.

His inspiration must be used to build the country.

Ivanildo Plein of the political party NPS gave.his condolences to the family,

friends and loved ones and wished them strength.

On behalf of the government minister Krishna Mathoera expressed her

sympathy with the Nationale Assemblee and the NDP faction.

Asis Gajadien, faction leader of the political party NDP said, that the country was confronted by the sudden decease.

There has been much discussion and many emotions play a part.

It is not for him or the VHP to judge.

That depends on Higher Powers.

Here on this Earth it is the task to handle matters in all quietness and respect.

He gave his condolences to the widow Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, his

children and other family members and the NDP and wished them much strength with their loss.

”The Leader of the Revolution, former chairman honorary chaorman, member

of the Nationale Assemblee, also president of the Republic Suriname, our spiritual father and nestor, mr Desire Delano Bouterse, is taken away from us.

Nationally and internationally recognized as a great and inspiring progressive 

leader for young nation States” said Rabin Parmessar, faction leader of the

NDP, the party of Bouterse.

”His legacy remains a Beacon for our Labiour, political awareness and

decolonization of our society.

We shall continue his vision and ideals with determination and shall hold vivid his dream of a stronger and united Suriname.

His vision was great, his dream for our country pure, where he also searched for

a peaceful world, based on lasting international principles and International Law.

Desi Delano Bouterse is on his way to the Great Light, may his soul rest in Peace.

His work here is done, but he continues to live on in our ideals and every

positive deed for sustainable development, since his legacy will

remain an eternal promise to our beloved country and people.

We wish his wife, family, party members, sympathizers of the NDP and all

who are touched by this great loss, much strength.

We thank the family, in particular his wife and children, that they shared him

with us.

A great son and great nationalist with his heart in the right place for Suriname has gone before us!

He will always be with us: his legacy is now part of us!”

END

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