Let this be said once and for all, so that it properly sinks in with policymakers: when coalition agreements are made, constitutional powers must be explicitly respected and taken into account.
If this does not happen through proper consultation, then you implicitly legalise institutional fraud. After all, the lawful exercise of administrative-law duties has a permanent normative foundation. Precisely because political agreements now too often prevail over constitutional-law frameworks, good governance in Suriname has been put on shaky ground.
The consequence of this administrative stagnation and institutional ageing is already being seen as an insurmountable barrier, because despite the enormous oil revenues on the horizon, young people’s willingness to leave is at a historic high. They refuse to squander their future on a faltering system.
Legalising Class Justice.
Nevertheless, a plan is being prepared to draft legislation that, in certain new cases, imposes a ban on the enforcement of handed-down court rulings, which constitutes a direct and deliberate infringement on the independence of the judiciary.
Whoever does this is guilty of unacceptable government interference. The moment this comes into being, every citizen may just as well take the law into their own hands. This deliberately creates pure chaos by legally introducing and protecting class justice. This is an axe at the root of the separation of powers. The hypocrisy in this is shocking. On the one hand, you criticise the functioning of the judiciary and present yourself by advocating for the establishment of a Hoge Raad (Supreme Court).
That in itself is not a problem, but could in fact be an institutional asset. On the other hand, you now want to exercise political power by unilaterally substantively reorganising that body in order to safeguard political interests. Have you completely lost your mind?
Death Blow to the Rule of Law
Suriname, with its weak institutions, is unfortunately already internationally known as a drug transit country and narco-state. What will the world think? This unmistakably creates the impression that this is purely intended to shield criminal gangs and networks.
The political leadership believes itself untouchable, but the clock is ticking. Bear in mind that it may soon also be conclusively investigated who actually sponsored the political parties and with what money the election campaigns were financed. Once those money flows are exposed, things could really come to a head. Think before you act, therefore, because the consequences of these dictatorial steps will prove fatal both nationally and for individual political parties.
I hope that the above hard, unavoidable arguments are taken to heart in order to prevent the death blow to our rule of law. Our economy has already ground to a halt. But well, that is widely known. First the People, then the Rest! 29 September 2026
