President Chan Santokhi is misrepresenting the so-called hearings as part of a “pre-national dialogue” to suggest that his administration would be allowed to start anew. Of course, the major goal of this is to quell the unrest and the widespread discontent among the populace.
The PALU thinks that the administration is not in a position to make a quick turn for the better right now and start over from scratch. After all, the government has demonstrated via its actions over the past three years that it is unable to manage and prioritize the needs of the Surinamese. According to the PALU, you cannot modify that immediately, not even following a supposedly pre-national discourse.
Results
The president had invited all the groups he had spoken to before May 20 to deliver the findings of the national conversation pre-consultation. In their conversations with the president, the various organizations mainly voiced their complaints and what they thought the policy was missing.
The PALU also gave the president a seven-point program during the initial talks that would have temporarily stopped the deteriorating trends in a number of areas.
Unmasked
The president now believes he can benefit from that. Now that he allegedly knows exactly what has to be done, the neighborhood may anticipate a brand-new policy. But as soon as the words are said, he is immediately made public. Because the president remains mute in all languages as a cyanide situation unfolds in Brokopondo. Apparently, he (rightly) expresses sympathy for the victims of a school fire in our neighboring country, but we are unable to find any evidence of him being involved in the cyanide accident in our own nation.
Landslides
The president announced on May 20 a new, fresh start for the second half of the term of office, as if the government had suddenly seen the light in response to the different criticisms. On May 25, the new action plan was finally announced. The miracles now seem to be coming to pass. But it should be obvious that nothing novel should be anticipated from this.
The problems existed from the beginning. That is why they had already made a plan and went to the IMF against advice from, among others, the PALU. The problems have only gotten worse in the past three years, with the additional negative effect that more and more skilled workers are leaving our country. The PALU wonders what landslides will now occur in policy, as a result of which the result will be different.
Progressive Workers and Farmers Union (PALU)
