CHANGING OF THE GUARDS

In a special session  the Surinamese National Assembly today  reelected President Desiree .D. Bouterse  for a second term of five years as President of the Republic of Suriname. It is the first time in Suriname's revolutionary history that a president has been unanimously  reelected for a second term as Head of State.

president D.D. Bouterse

 

The Surinamese nation will have a new government soon and president Bouterse and vice president Adhin will have to put their shoulders under the mammoth task of steering the Surinamese economy out of the danger zone . Michael Adhin  who is the youngest vice president to ever be elected in Suriname's parliament has pledged to focus on efficiency and cost effective management of national affairs.
vice-president M.A. Adhin

In view of the recent unrest in Greece and the European Union as a result of exploitative austerity cuts it is to be expected that all eyes will be on Suriname's to be appointed  minister of economic affairs. The further the elections sink into a not so distant past, politicians and political parties tend to forget all the lofty promises made during the election campaign. It is a matter of vigilance and expertise of Surinamese financial and economic scholars and politicians, to prevent corruption and exploitation from laying the biggest austerity burdens on the shoulders of the poor and vulnerable.
In the coming months the new approach will have to materialize in economic advantage for the majority of the Surinamese entrepreneurs and workers. It will be interesting to see if and how foreign investors will  be affecting local business initiatives positively. The campaigns to improve and increase production output can be a collective effort if the people feel the gains of the sacrifice of austerity are evenly or at least  honestly spread over the various sections of the workforce. In view of recent incidents involving blatantly corrupt practices of  officials, a new approach will  have to be judged on its ability to curb corruption and prevent exploitative practices.
    Presidential Palace in capital Paramaribo has a new freeze with the national code of arms.

    

Perhaps the recent removal of the old colonial code of arms from the presidential palace and its replacement by the national Surinamese code of arms will also result in removal of open and covert corruption in Surinamese society.
removed colonial code of Arms with symbols of the city of Amsterdam

The city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands used to own the colony Suriname in the 17th,18th and    19th century and excelled in exploitation of indigenous and imported African inhabitants.                 Their unpaid labor contributed to the accumulation of wealth in Europe. The 'golden age' of the Netherlands was characterized by exploitation, corrupted politics, slave trade and slavery in the Dutch colonies including Suriname.

                                                  National code of Arms of the Republic of Suriname

It is to be hoped that the newly installed indigenous guards on the Presidential Palace facade will be able to symbolically guard the nation from economic downfall and will inspire the population to work          hard to raise the standard of living for all.

Unfortunately prices of vegetables and other commodities are skyrocketing and although the continued heavy rains and subsequent floods  could be blamed for loss of crops, the government will have to put its foot down to prevent out of control rise of the cost of living. The changing of the guards with new ministers and a new National Assembly, needs to ensure that the promises are kept and every action which could undermine all good intentions of change and progress must be prevented or curbed.