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
”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.”
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.
”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.”
”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.”
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.”
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
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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
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 7/No Sanctification for Villains!
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
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 6/No Sanctification for Villains!
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
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
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 5/No Sanctification for Villains!
”Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof expressed his condolences to the people of Suriname following the death of Desi Bouterse, the controversial former president and military leader of the South American nation.”
NL TIMES
DUTCH AND SURINAMESE LEADERS REACT TO DEATH OF DESI
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof expressed his condolences to the people of Suriname following the death of Desi Bouterse, the controversial former president and military leader of the South American nation. However, Schoof withheld any direct message of sympathy for Bouterse himself, citing the former leader’s responsibility for atrocities during his time in power, including the December Murders of 1982.
“My thoughts are with all Surinamers, particularly the relatives of the victims of the December Murders,” Schoof said. “Bouterse’s memory will always be shaped by his role in those horrific events.” Schoof also supported Surinamese President Chan Santokhi’s call for calm, urging “rest and dignity” in the aftermath of Bouterse’s death.
The circumstances surrounding Bouterse’s death remain under investigation in Suriname. According to the Surinamese police, unknown individuals transported his body to his home in Leonsberg from an undisclosed location. A resident of the house informed police of the body’s arrival during an early-morning visit.
Authorities were first alerted to Bouterse’s death shortly after 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday. A doctor summoned by the police found no signs of foul play during an initial examination. However, the body was seized following consultation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to determine the exact cause of death.
Bouterse, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year for orchestrating the December Murders, never served his sentence, having evaded justice by fleeing. The killings, which took place at Fort Zeelandia, resulted in the deaths of 15 political opponents of Bouterse’s military regime. “His death has left many emotions in Suriname and here in the Netherlands, especially among the victims’ families,” Schoof said on social media.
Reactions to Bouterse’s death highlight the deep divisions in how he is remembered. VHP Nederland, the Dutch branch of the Surinamese governing party, issued a statement acknowledging the polarizing nature of Bouterse’s legacy.
“Desi Bouterse is remembered by many as a controversial figure due to his role in historical events that left deep scars,” the organization stated. “For some, his leadership is associated with injustice and pain, particularly related to the December Murders and the military dictatorship.”
The group called for “respect and dignity” during this period of mourning and urged Surinamese society to reflect on the country’s tumultuous past. “Only through openness and understanding can Suriname turn the pain of the past into a united and sustainable future,” the statement added.
Bouterse, who also faced drug trafficking charges, was convicted in absentia by a Dutch court in 1999 for involvement in a cocaine smuggling operation. The strained relations between the Netherlands and Bouterse’s administration persisted for decades, with the former leader frequently criticizing the Netherlands as Suriname’s former colonizer.
Prominent figures in the Netherlands with ties to Suriname expressed mixed feelings about Bouterse’s death. Attorney Gerard Spong, who was involved in investigations into the December Murders, described the news as “ambivalent.”
“Bouterse was a man with a lot of blood on his hands,” Spong told ANP. “It’s deeply frustrating that he avoided earthly justice by remaining a fugitive. He held Suriname hostage for 40 years and caused enormous suffering. I do not mourn his death.”
Spong, who lost friends and colleagues in the 1982 killings, called Bouterse’s death “a bitter end to a painful chapter.”
Journalist Noraly Beyer, who produced a documentary on the December Murders two years ago, also shared her conflicted emotions. “There was justice from the courts, and now there is justice from a higher power,” she said. “It’s a relief that the man who caused so much harm is gone. But it’s also unsatisfying because he never served his sentence.”
Beyer noted the importance of answering lingering questions about Bouterse’s final days. “Where was he hiding? How did he die? These answers are important for the victims and their families,” she said.
Bouterse’s death also prompted calls for societal healing. VHP Nederland emphasized the need for Suriname to focus on reconciliation and justice. “We must continue advocating for democracy, transparency, and human rights in Suriname,” the group said.
The Surinamese police have urged the public to refrain from speculation and to await the results of the ongoing investigation. “We ask for patience and calm as we work to clarify the circumstances surrounding Mr. Bouterse’s passing,” the statement read.
END
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 4/No Sanctification for Villains!
”Desi Bouterse, the former president of Suriname who fled authorities to avoid jail after his conviction over the murder of activists in the 1980s, has died at age 79, the government says.”
…..
…..
”In December last year, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders, ending a historic 16-year legal process.
He then vanished and never served time in jail.”
ALJAZEERA
DESI BOUTERSE, SURINAME’S FUGITIVE FORMER PRESIDENT,
