Hopefully, the final foot has been dropped on the decades-long struggle to deliver justice to the relatives of the fifteen civil society activists who’d been murdered over in Suriname in 1982 – on the orders of strongman Desi Bouterse. Those included lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers and university professors. He and some NCOs had staged a “Sergeants Coup” in 1980, and for a while he acted as spokesman, but soon took over the military regime, promoting himself to commander-in-chief and de facto ruler. We’d remember it was the same year Burnham had ordered the assassination of Walter Rodney, then the strongest force that could’ve toppled him in Guyana. Bouterse’s coup would’ve brought home starkly the danger of Rodney infiltrating the GDF – which he knew from plants like Gregory Smith was in the works!!
Well, Burnham’s long dead and gone, but unlike in Suriname, his successors refuse to accept the report of the COI that fingered their Kabaka!!
Over the Corentyne River, Bouterse thought he was able to get away with murder after he stepped aside in 1987 – but then staged the infamous “telephone coup” and officially made himself president!! All he had to do was call the incumbent president on the phone and inform him he was overthrown – and that was that!! He formed a political party and transmuted himself into a politician.
But it would appear that running a country wasn’t enough for Bouterse – he went into the drug smuggling business that shipped the Colombian white lady into Europe. In 1999, a Dutch Court convicted him in absentia to 11 years in prison for one particular shipment – but, as President, he was beyond Interpol’s reach. He kept on with his smuggling – along with his son Dino, who was convicted by a US Court and eventually extradited to serve his sentence. Daddy Bouterse kept on keeping on, and proved that some folks had very short memories, since he ran for elections in 2010 – and won! And ruled till 2020!!
Like that other drug smuggler to our west – Mad Maduro – Bouterse adopted a populist line that pandered to the poor to get their support – never mind he bankrupted the treasury!! Is it a coincidence that in Suriname under Bouterse, Guyana under Burnham, and Venezuela under Mad Maduro, “freeness to the poor” was their claim to electoral fame?? And all three countries went down the gutter!! We note that, once again in Guyana, another party’s basing their appeal on “freeness” – called the Buxton Plan!!
Anyhow, the now 78-year-old Bouterse says he’ll accept the sentence of 20 years – probably expecting his followers to riot and spring him!! Or having had so many pardons, he believes another’s on the way!!
Politics is a real nasty business!!
…our threats?
Well, well, well!! So, what’s your Eyewitness’s view of US 4-star Gen (rtd) Wesley K. Clark’s “private” visit on Pres Ali’s invitation?? Now, this guy’s the real deal: West Point valedictorian class of 1966; Masters at Oxford University; medalled for service in Vietnam; Supreme Allied Commander, Europe – after heading SouthCom – and presidential candidate. Were there any more worlds left to conquer??
Well, evidently not, since he retired from the army and opened up his own very pricey private consulting firm – Wesley Clark and Associates. So, what does he consult about? Well, duh!! What he knows about!! He also heads an investment bank; chairs Energy Security Partners that is active in “energy, including oil and gas, biofuels, electric power and batteries, finance, and security.” Now, isn’t that a perfect fit for Guyana?? Especially with that last throwaway item – security – at this point of our history??!!
Maduro would know Clark led the brutal campaign against Serbia to prevent Albanian ethnic cleansing!! Pressie doesn’t need to pay no heed to that Brooklyn posse!!
…response to Maduro
Now General Clark ain’t no warmonger. Remember, he was the fella who revealed that the George W Bush Administration was gonna overthrow “seven states in five years” after 9/11?? But he can project power!!
