Matawai passport project under fire: Granman Valentijn rejects allegations

The Cabinet of the Granman of the Matawai people has responded strongly in an official statement dated 24 August to a recent press conference on the Matawai pass project. According to the cabinet, the district commissioner of Boven-Saramacca, members of the traditional authority and the cabinet of Granman Lesley Valentijn were wrongly linked to alleged malpractice during that meeting.

The statement says that the press conference was organized by dismissed board members of the Moeroe Moeroe Kreek Foundation and a lawyer who, according to the cabinet, has had no working relationship with the traditional authority for some time. The statement does not name the initiators involved. As a result, the document does not establish who exactly made which allegations.

At the centre of the conflict is the Matawai pass project, involving the registration and issuance of passes for people active in the gold mining area. The cabinet disputes that this is a personal initiative of the district commissioner. Allegations of financial mismanagement are also rejected. However, the statement does not include financial documents, proof of payment or court rulings that would allow the allegations or the rebuttal to be independently verified.

Matawai pass project part of government policy, according to cabinet

According to Granman Valentijn and his cabinet, the procedure surrounding the passes is coordinated by the district commissioner on behalf of the Cabinet of the President. It is said to be a government measure intended to better regulate the small-scale gold sector in the area, enable oversight and improve safety at Bergi 21 and surrounding locations.

That explanation is in line with previously announced government policy for the Moeroekreek area. On 28 May, representatives of the government, the Matawai community and Zijin Rosebel Mines signed a protocol on management, registration, safety and supervision in alluvial gold mining. The Surinamese government reported that registration and monitoring are important components of the new agreements. The cabinet places the Matawai pass project within that broader regulatory framework.

Granman disputes mandate behind press conference

A second major issue in the statement concerns the question of who may speak on behalf of the traditional authority. According to the cabinet, the press conference in question was held without the knowledge, supervision or formal permission of Granman Valentijn and the authorized captains. The presence of one basja would, according to the statement, not mean that the meeting was held on behalf of the entire traditional authority.

The cabinet therefore questions the representative status of the meeting. According to the granman, the statements made there cannot be regarded as a position of the legitimate traditional authority. This is the position of the cabinet itself and forms an important part of the dispute surrounding the Matawai pass project. The statement does not include a response from the organizers of the press conference to this account of events.

“According to the cabinet, peace in Matawai must not be undermined by unproven allegations.”

Authority of former board members also challenged

The cabinet further states that the initiators of the press conference were previously dismissed as board members of the Moeroe Moeroe Kreek Foundation. Based on that position, they would no longer have the authority to act on behalf of the foundation. The statement refers to the foundation’s articles of association and Book 2 of the New Surinamese Civil Code.

Based on the statement, Key News can only establish that the cabinet takes this legal position. The underlying dismissal decisions, articles of association and other documents showing the current authority of the board were not attached to the statement. This means that the documents the various parties can provide remain relevant for an independent assessment.

Warning of civil and criminal action

Granman Valentijn calls on those involved to refrain from further publications and actions that the cabinet considers unlawful, misleading or unfounded. If, according to the traditional authority, there continues to be disinformation or an undermining of lawful authority, the cabinet says it will use civil and criminal legal options.

The appeal surrounding the Matawai pass project is also directed at gold miners, entrepreneurs and residents in the Matawai area. They are asked to continue following the official guidelines on registration, passes and safety, and to maintain calm. The cabinet explicitly links that appeal to the broader regulation of gold mining and the prevention of new tensions in the area.

Regulation at Bergi 21 has a longer history

The discussion does not stand on its own. In June, Key News already reported on government intervention at 21 Bergi, after the government had pointed to dangerous gold mining activities and the need for regulation. Even then, it was clear that safety, access to the area and the position of local gold miners are sensitive issues.

The current conflict adds an administrative and legal dimension. Not only is the implementation of the pass system under discussion, but also the question of who is authorized to make decisions or publicly express positions on behalf of the Matawai community and the organizations involved.

Right of reply remains important in pass dispute

The official statement makes clear that the cabinet of Granman Valentijn firmly rejects the allegations and continues to support the Matawai pass project. At the same time, the document presents only the cabinet’s position. For a complete picture, the precise allegations of the other party, the financial and legal documents, and a response to this statement are necessary.

The coming period will have to show whether the parties involved can substantiate their positions with documents and whether the dispute will be resolved through consultation or become further entangled in legal proceedings. For residents and gold miners, what matters most is that clarity emerges about authority, payments, registration and the rules that actually apply in the area.