Surinamese businesses will get reciprocal treatment – VP Jagdeo on harassment of Guyanese fishermen

– says matter will be brought to Caricom’s attention

The matter of Suriname’s harassment of Guyanese fishermen and the Dutch-speaking republic’s continued refusal to grant licences to them will be brought to the attention of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo warning Suriname that Guyana can also reciprocate this treatment.
He made this statement during an exercise he led on Friday at the Port Mourant Community Centre Ground and the Skeldon Community Centre Ground which saw hundreds of people, including fisherfolk, in attendance.

According to Jagdeo, a large factor in the difficulty they are facing securing licences for the fishermen is the exposure to the corrupt practice of renting licences. This, he noted, is nothing more than retaliation. Jagdeo warned that Guyana would itself be toughening its stance if the mistreatment continues.
“We know that they control fishing in their waters and they have a right to license whomever they wish. But we also have a right, in this country, to deal on a reciprocal basis with the Surinamese who are here doing business.”
“Because for too long now we are just tiptoeing around the issue. We are working at the diplomatic level, but the commitment of the Government of Suriname seems not to be worth the paper it is written on.”
With Guyana being the oil and gas hub that it is, the Vice President noted that Guyana can reciprocate in like manner with the Surinamese. Jagdeo went on to draw parallels with Guyana’s experiences with Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), where the twin island republic’s phytosanitary restrictions on food imports from Guyana were so restrictive that they hampered trade and were deemed to be arbitrary. The matter had to be raised in the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was subsequently signed in May, between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), with the two countries agreeing to work with each other in eradicating trade non-tariff barriers, as well as in the areas of infrastructure development and transportation.
According to Jagdeo, the Government will be bringing the mistreatment of its local fishermen by Suriname officials, to the attention of Caricom. According to him, it is time for Guyana to play “hardball”.
“As we did with Trinidad and Tobago, we have to start demanding reciprocal behaviour. The way you treat our people, you’re going to be treated here. Your companies, when you come into this country. We have to start doing that,” he said, to applause from those gathered.
“First of all, we have to go through the proper route. We’ll write Caricom on this matter. Because they belong to Caricom. This harassment of the fishermen has to stop and only we stop, we can’t trust them on a bilateral basis to resolve this issue. We have too many commitments that have not been honoured. So, our strategy has to change.”
Following the high-level meeting in Guyana in August 2021 between President Ali and President Santokhi, the two leaders issued a joint press statement indicating that the age-old issue of licences for Guyanese fisherfolk to operate in Suriname’s territorial waters would be addressed.
These fishermen operate from the Corentyne coast and have to use the Corentyne to get access to the Atlantic where they get most of their catch. The Corentyne River is considered Surinamese territory. Currently, the licences are issued to Surinamese businessmen at US$100 per year and rented to the Guyanese fisherfolk at US$3000 annually.
About 150 boats operate from the Number 66 Fisherman’s Co-op Society thus providing direct employment for about 800 fishermen. Additionally, some 200 persons are employed in providing services which include transportation, fish vending, and repairs to machinery and equipment.
During a meeting with Jagdeo in April of this year, Chairman of the Fishing Co-op, Pamashwar Jainarine explained that while they were expecting to get their licence for 2022, fisherfolk are now being further pressured. He had said the Surinamese are now demanding that they reduce the size of their vessels.
Currently, most of the boats are 40 feet in length and they are now asked to reduce them to 30 feet. Jainarine argued that because of the amount of ice that is needed to store catch during a fishing expedition and the 100 pounds of seine they carry, using the suggested smaller boat will not work.
Further, it is now required that the fishermen leave their boats on Suriname’s side of the Corentyne River. However, the Co-op Chairman pointed out that no security is provided for the boats and the water current is very strong which could result in them being pulled into the Atlantic. He further explained that each boat is valued at over $4 million.