SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE IS A CHOICE

What does solidarity with Palestinians have to do with Suriname and how does the choice to express solidarity and actively support the Palestinian People relate to Suriname's Independence? First of all the Boycott Divestment Sanction campaign brought down Apartheid in South Africa and should be actively supported by every Surinamese who fights racism and  cherishes Independence.  It is a choice we make as individuals and as a Government to side with humanity and justice and fight with all we have against colonization, abuse of human rights and crimes against humanity such as Israeli Apartheid and Occupation of Palestine. There are many ways to express solidarity with Palestine ranging from actively joining the armed struggle against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, voting pro-Palestine in the United Nations to supply diplomatic and humanitarian support to the hard hit Palestinian people, or to participate in the global Boycott , Divestment and Sanction (BDS) campaign  against Israeli Apartheid and Occupation. For most people  information about what is really going on  in Palestine and  the Palestinian liberation struggle is supplied by biased pro-Israel mass media corporations who shamelessly falsify information about the Palestinian liberation struggle. The daily extrajudicial assassinations of Palestinians by Israeli military hardly make it to the news broadcasts of CNN, Fox News and the likes, which are main sources of  information for Surinamese media . It is not surprising that most Surinamese don't feel offended by the recent close collaboration of the Israeli Kaplan Planner group with Suriname's Ministry of Agriculture  even if it has every smell of Zionist recolonization of Suriname's natural resources under the flag of 'solidarity' and 'cooperation with friendly nations'.
The current global  economic crisis has everything to do with the global Zionist takeover of natural resources and training and arming of police and military corpses to protect the interests of the wealthy 1%. It  reminds me of the days when so-called 'explorers' were financed by Europe's Royal families to find  silver, gold and precious gems to fill their often empty coffers.
Today President Desiree Delano Bouterse's government  coffers  are empty, and desperate attempts are made to  steer Suriname's economy through stormy economic weather. Bouterse's National Democratic Party won last year's election  promising the people economic growth, social security and strengthening of Suriname's independence after centuries of Dutch colonization.  Under Bouterse's reign Suriname's advances towards regional integration and international recognition were recognized by regional Caribbean and latin American organizations  CARICOM  and UNASUR and his friendship with Venezuela's presidents Hugo Chavez and  Maduro did not go unnoticed. On the day Bouterse was installed as chairman of the UNASUR regional Latin American organization in 2013, the FBI arrested his son in Panama in a sting operation which led to his  conviction on charges of drug trafficking and arms deals involving Hezbollah, the Lebanese liberation Army.
Today an Israeli organization which also offers services to the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs  is sitting on top of Suriname's agricultural planning and development programming and will definitely serve Israeli interests in this respect. This agricultural cooperation between Israel and Suriname and Suriname's collaboration with Israeli Universities is in stark contrast with global efforts to further isolate Israel and boycott Israeli products as long as its Apartheid policy and Occupation of Palestine are not ended. Suriname has opted for Israel and is now under Israeli hooves when it comes to development of its viable economic resources and has made the choice to support Israel instead of Palestine. Internationally this choice will isolate Suriname and  further lip service to international collaboration and solidarity with Palestine  will  undermine its credibility in the international political arena.  
Suriname used to be colonized by Jewish plantation owners, who fled the European persecution of Jews and established themselves in Brazil as most cruel exploiters of African enslaved people.
When colonial Portugal conquered colonial Netherlands the Jewish planters fled to Suriname where they became plantation owners and Suriname became the  first Jewish region on the American continent where Jewish law was practiced and  condoned by the Dutch colonizers.  To my great disappointment it seems President Bouterse today is selling out Suriname for a few silver coins in his efforts to prevent collapse of Suriname's economy. The choice he made for Israel is not an option for long term credible and sustainable development of our Independent Surinamese Republic.

Female Chieftain appointed in Grankreek Saramacca,Suriname

We should continue to fight for the rights of indigenous peoples of Suriname and we should educate ourselves said Angelique Palmtak in her acceptance speech as first female Chieftain of the village council of  Grankreek  in Saramacca,Suriname on saturday March 5th 2016.

In a  historic gathering Angelique Palmtak  and her fellow village council members were joined by various Surinamese indigenous chieftains and elderly.  President Desire Bouterse and his delegation of Cabinet  Ministers, National Democratic Party officials as well as local and national government officers, came to Grankreek village  to be part of this historic celebration.

The village chieftains are chosen for live by the elderly and by the villagers. After long and serious considerations the new chieftain who is the first woman to receive this task in GranKreek, agreed to take  this huge responsibility. The young woman, who is known as a strong warrior, will be responsible for the material and immaterial well being of her villagers and is supported by a council which will help her to carry out the many tasks.

Although Grankreek is not an original indigenous village historically, the population is mainly Arawak and Carib and the ceremonies which were performed during the installation of the new village council were attended by various representatives from all Surinamese indigenous tribes.
Palmtak urged her villagers to support her to do the tasks ahead of her and called on the government to make haste to ensure the land distribution papers are finalized for the village because 'without land you are nothing' she said. The new Village council chairperson stressed the importance of education and training and called on her villagers to educate themselves and not stay behind while the world was moving on technologically and also socially.
Originally the coastal region of Surname was inhabited by Arrawac and Carib peoples who retreated to the interior rainforest of Suriname when European colonizers occupied their territory and introduced slavery and colonialism in Suriname. Today Suriname has five indigenous peoples who live freely in villages in the interior rainforest and in coastal towns like Grankreek. Angelique Palmtak spoke in dutch, the official Language in Suriname  but the songs and the prayers during the ceremonies were spoken in indigenous languages which are almost forgotten by younger generations. The local youths  were urged to learn from the elders before they were gone and to respect their own indigenous cultural values.