SURINAME INVITES ISLAMIC INVESTORS

  Minister of foreign affairs Nirmala Badrising. 

Suriname's history created the diversity in our population of 500.000 people, which has its roots in India, Indonesia, China,  Africa, Europe and now lives peacefully in the South American nation where  Trio, Wayana, Akoerio, Carib and Arawac  are free indigenous inhabitants of Suriname.

A multi cultural  population gave Suriname's society its multi religious character. Even though Dutch colonialism planted Christianity as dominant religion in the past and Suriname is home to the oldest Jewish community on the American continent, today  the Hindu religious community is the largest religious community in Suriname and the Muslim community is our fastest growing religious community. Many  a tourist  praise  us in Suriname for the peaceful coexistence of people from so many different cultural backgrounds and religions . In our capital Paramaribo, the Jewish synagogue and the Mosque stand peacefully side by side.

Suriname's minister of foreign affairsNirmala Badrising illustrated this diversity recently in Istanbul by attending the 13th Heads of Government summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation OIC.
In her address she urged Islamic investors to invest in Suriname. Caribbean journalist Ray Chickrie  reported that "she told the summit that Suriname "has a conducive environment for foreign direct investments in sectors such as ICT, energy, tourism, housing and infrastructure
. Suriname provides ample opportunities for trade and investment ventures in natural resources, such as gold, bauxite, oil and other minerals, and an abundance of arable farmland is available for the development of the agro-industry."

 slave planting cotton in 1807

Taking into account that Suriname recently was screened by the IMF for a substantial loan to cope with serious economic difficulties due to a  drop in commodity prices of gold, aluminum and oil  on the international markets, Badrising's call on investors to invest in Suriname comes as no surprise.
Suriname has a team of Foreign Affairs professionals roaming the world to find the resources and to attract investors to keep Suriname's economy afloat and reverse the downward spiral which has caused considerable social unrest and uncontrolled price rises of basic food supplies in Suriname.
It is however, a matter of clever and conscious management of foreign investments to make sure that the country is not handed over on a silver platter and the 1% does not squeeze all the life-juices out of the 99%. 
Foreign investors want to make profits, we must ask ourselves which  profits are in these investments for Suriname. Investor demands should never lead to  another round of 'selling out' of valuable Surinamese assets such as our water, our soil and our precious metals and timber. The newly appointed minister Badrising is a senior foreign affairs specialist who knows where the money is stashed and who is trying to get a piece of that pie for Suriname.

 Kruyaras on the Suriname river

What will the impact be on Suriname's society if a large influx of foreign investors  coming from Islamic states voice  their demands. We know that also Suriname appeared in the Wiki Leaks diplomatic messages in the past and it was Dr. Jamalludin who wrote to his Islamic brothers in Saudi Arabia  to ask for help to support his efforts to educate Surinamese people in the Muslim faith.
The truth is that  oil money and Islamic investment funding  go a long way and go hand in hand and in some cases such as Yemen, Syria , Palestine and Iraq these investments did not bring prosperity but bombs and guns .  The future will teach us what price Suriname pays for foreign investments and which impact the IMF loan and the Islamic Investments  will have on our social and economic fabric. For now all eyes are on Mecca, Washington and Istanbul  at foreign Affairs in Suriname

Martha Tjoe Nij  May 2016

SURINAME IS NOT AN ISLAND

Suriname is not an island but it is one of the members of UNASUR and CARICOM  and part of the  Latin American and Caribbean  economic and cultural heritage which is steeped in colonial slavery and indigenous resistance against colonial domination.
(picture original indigenous  inhabitants of Suriname)

What most Caribbean islanders don't know about Suriname is that it used to be isolated from the rest of the Caribbean and Latin American mainland due to its location on the South American continent and due to its  language barrier, the official language is Dutch.
Thanks to the consistent policies of the Dutch colonizers to keep Suriname focused  as servant of the "motherland" in Europe, the kingdom in the Netherlands made good use of Suriname's natural resources.
(Picture  Jewish Synagogue in colonial Paramaribo)

Suriname is not an island but most Surinamese feel no connection with the Caribbean and Latin American region as a result of our colonial history and it is only recently that the Surinamese government has been actively promoting regional integration. Since Suriname's independence on November 25th in 1975  and definitely after the February Revolution in 1980 there has been  a shifting  of the national focus on our neighbors on the Latin American continent and on the Caribbean islands.

(Picture Paramaribo Presidential Palm Gardens)

It is no surprise that what is happening at global level to the Caribbean and Latin American region is also reflected in Suriname, the smallest nation on the American continent. The recent unrest in prominent  UNASUR member states  Venezuela , Argentina and Brazil did not go unnoticed in Suriname where unions and private sector are feeling the impact of the recent economic recession just as much as their counterparts in UNASUR states. The interesting aspect of this social unrest is however its timing and its clear political support from elite right wing and fascist circles in Latin America and abroad , which seem to have enough funds to finance corrupted officials as seems to be  the case in Brazil.

(picture National Flag of Suriname)

Having been focused for centuries  on Europe, in particular on the Netherlands where more than 250.000 Surinamese Dutch live, the recent cry  'lets forget about the region and ask help from  the Dutch again', is firmly entrenched in old colonial and neocolonial networks of the  Dutch and Surinamese dominant elites. The interests of former European colonizers of Latin America and Caribbean and their local counterparts, have shifted. It went from slave trade to cheap and slave labor during colonial times,  to modern day exploitation of our natural resources which include timber, aluminum, gold, water, uranium, copper, diamonds, oil and the pristine natural beauty. Our nature and cultural diversity are main attractions for European tourists who wish to escape the harsh European cold climate.

(Picture Opposition Parliamentarian Ronny Brunswijk)

While colonial dominance has instilled a false sense of  'we cannot make it on our own' in the Surinamese psyche, the regional unrest and its economic outfall has given the traditional advocates of colonial world views new impetus to sell us out and corrupt the budding Caribbean and Latin American freedom and independence movements. Brazil is facing impeachment of the democratically elected president , Venezuela is facing foreign intervention and serious economic problems. Suriname has had to bow to the IMF to cope with the loss of foreign currency revenues from  exports of Aluminum, gold and oil, due to the dramatic drop in prices of these commodities on the global markets .

(picture Senior Surinamese Citizen)
Suriname is not an island but due to economic recession, social unrest as a result of lack of political   unity for change, and serious regional interventions of the right wing elites opting for capitalist protectionism, we might soon be facing the 'island effect' which kept us isolated from our neighbors for so many years. I am convinced that it is a fierce battle ahead in the Caribbean and Latin America in which the advocates of neocolonial submission will be prominently featured and lavishly rewarded for their efforts to satisfy the desires of 1% at the cost of 99%. No need to say that there are some in the 1% who are so filthy rich that they could afford to buy Suriname and make it their private island.
All eyes are on them and their  policies, disrupting national cultural and political growth on the islands and on the mainland. Resistance to occupation, domination and economic terrorism  needs to be developed and our history of resistance to colonialism needs to be studied to achieve maximum results in the battles ahead.

(Picture Surinamese youths celebrating Independence )


Suriname is not an island but an integral part of the region even if we don't know them as well as we should, and they don't know us as well as they could. The timing of global commodity price drops  and political unrest in the region is orchestrated and not accidental. It is time we brace ourselves and face the coming onslaught on our independence, freedom and cultural heritage. Because we are not an island I am convinced Suriname will overcome the current problems and has a bright future  ahead in which Latin America and the Caribbean will embrace us warmly.
Martha Tjoe Nij
April 26 2016

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.

Ezelskar in Paramaribo

Photo R.Moeridjan

Deze foto uit de oude doos  werd gemaakt om het gebouw van de handelmaatschappij H.J. De Vries te vereeuwigen . Voor mij is de foto belangrijk omdat het een tijdsbeeld geeft van een man met ezelskar en ik vroeg mij af of dit mijn grootvader had kunnen zijn. Van mijn grootvader Hendrik Jan Tjoe Nij weet ik dat hij samen met zijn moeder vracht per ezelskar vervoerde naar en  van de haven van Paramaribo. Het pleit voor zijn moeder Magdalena Trijn dat zij haar zoon niet alleen naar school stuurde maar ook een vak leerde door hem op de timmer school van de katholieke paters in Paramaribo te zetten. Samen met haar zoon transporteerde zij vracht voor klanten in Paramaribo.  Op de foto loopt de man naast zijn ezelskar . De kar had dus gemaakt kunnen zijn in de houtwerkplaats van de paters en de vraag blijft  waar gaat deze ezelskar naar toe?

Mijn grootvader droeg vaak zo'n hoed en de man met de hoed en de man op de stoep hebben gekeken naar de fotograaf R.Moeridjan.

Was de vracht wellicht afgeleverd  bij de Vries en was de ezel moe van de zware rit en liep de man daarom naast zijn ezel? De foto is prachtig en levert een kijk in de tijd waarin ezelskarren vaak te zien waren in het stadsverkeer. Vanaf nu is dit in mijn gedachten een foto van mijn opa na het afleveren van een vracht lang voor ik over hem zou fantaseren . Het gebouw van H.J. De Vries staat er nog steeds maar any fotograaf moet  anno 2016 lang wachten op het moment waarop  een ezelskar voorbij komt.

Martha Tjoe Nij 2016 Plantage Misgunst,Saramacca.

Zionism is Nazism in Israel.

Without any remorse the Zionist hordes in Israel are killing and imprisoning Palestinians, demolishing their homes and confiscating their land. Meanwhile the western media are shamelessly selling pro Israeli and anti Palestinian, anti Muslim stories to keep people ignorant of what is really going on behind walls of Apartheid in Israel. Western cries for justice, democracy and peace and Western pride in technological and social advances have become a farce in face of their support for the gross inhumanity of Israeli warcrimes and occupation. Governments in the UK, USA and EU are openly supporting blatant and undeniable Israeli crimes against humanity. While using the concept of democracy as a yardstick to measure and beat other countries, Zionism has effectively infiltrated all systems of western power and is not democratic in any way. On the contrary the Zionist concoction Israel, is a perfect example of institutional Apartheid and Racist injustice such as the siege on Gaza and the denial of the right to return to Palestine for Palestinian refugees. Silencing of opposition in a mock democracy is daily practice in Israel too. Israel is unable to hide its systematic daily assassinations and maiming of Palestinians depriving them of basic human rights. The illusions of freedom and democracy in Israel would instantly evaporate without financial and military aid from Zionists in the USA, EU, UK and Eastern Europe. Zionist aggression could be rooted out easily if only Nazism had not been allowed to blossom in EU,UK,USA & Eastern Europe. The real enemy of world peace is ZIONISM is ISRAELI NAZISM.       
Nazi Israel en Nazi Germany have the dream of a racist white state in common.

ISRAEL KILLS CHILDREN

 Born in Suriname in the fifties of the past century and raised in
Europe when love and flower power were battling USA invasion of
Vietnam and racial segregation in the USA, I am now trying to get in
touch with computerization and social media communication.
Flower power is definitely out and today’s youths surprise me with
their ability to escape from the harsh reality surrounding them, with
games, drugs and virtual existence on social media. Sports no longer
seem to be something many youths are willing to sacrifice everything
for. Defending the national borders also seems to become something of
the past when you can cross borders via social media just like that.
It is of course not true that there are no more young people willing
to excel at sports or in any field of social interaction. We only have
to look at the many young entrepreneurs, sportsmen and sportswomen and
growing number of graduates from universities and educational
institutes who excell at what they do and want to do better.
Looking at the global advance of racism and racist armed aggression it
seems young people are less surprised at what is going on and seem to
look at my alarm with disdain. How come the flower power generation
never noticed that very little was achieved and that Nazism ,Fascism
and Zionism walk hand in hand covering all continents to reap natural
resources for the promised elite God given few.
I have to admit that I truly did not notice it until recently when the
war on Gaza and the escalation of violence in Iraq,Syria,Yemen and
Palestine woke me up to a nightmarish reality.
Just like the time when Nazism devastated large chunks of Europe and
Africa to further the Arian cause, today Zionism in a worse way is
globally sowing death and destruction in the name of God and a chosen
race.
The computerized social media generation is quick to verify if CNN is
lying again, by using their app or mobile devices. The social media
cross border information flow no longer clings to narrow nationalistic
boundaries but rather develops a holistic global awareness and sense
of community.
However as long as the media are controlled by the very Zionist
instigators of strife and destruction the chances are that even the
young generation will be disappointed and resorts to armed and violent
defense of their modern freedom and modern machines which give them
access to information. The computerized generation will discover more
about the use of natural resources to maintain their habits and also
will have to rediscover the differences between real possibilities and
virtual dream worlds.
The flowerpower generation used alcohol, marihuana and opium to sedate
themselves, this generation which has the 24hr production society on
their backs , is using xtc pills, heroin, cocaine and alcohol to cope
with their reality. Under our open eyes the world as we knew it is
rearranged to suit Zionist tastes and we who are not considered to be
part of the select chosen few, will have to deal with the secondary
realism of a post hegemonic world ruled by Zionists.
By the time youths from the regions where natural resources such as
gas, oil, copper, water, Uranium,gold and diamonds are being extracted
by global corporations, start confronting the youths living in their
social media virtual habitat, they have to be prepared for some harsh
real truths about their age and their world.
The globe is for all but the resources are being harvested to serve a
select few and this cannot be accepted by any generation. I might be
considered an old hippie who does not understand what is going on but
at the same time the daily killing of young Palestinians,
Syrians,Egyptians,Libyans,Afghans, Nigerians, Yemeni,Somalians and
African Americans are a sign on the wall which cannot be denied and
which have to be stopped by this generation.
Martha Tjoe Nij
Misgunst Saramacca 07-01-2016


Odi, Martha Ilse T