The police’s actions during the administrative crisis at the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS) are raising new questions. According to chairman of the supervisory board Emanuel Scheek, police officers were ordered by higher authorities to withdraw on Tuesday, October 20, while tensions at the TAS building escalated.
The RvC says it had requested police assistance in advance to ensure that the transfer of administrative responsibilities proceeded in an orderly manner. According to Scheek, police officers were initially present, but were then instructed to leave the building.
“We would very much like to stay, but we have been ordered by higher authorities to withdraw,” Scheek told journalists, recounting what the police officers had allegedly told him.
The chairman of the supervisory board wonders why the police had to withdraw at that particular moment. It is not yet known who gave the alleged order and on what grounds this may have happened. An official response from the police is lacking.
Commissioners report violence after police departure
The situation at the TAS building escalated when the commissioners insisted that director Wendy Jap-A-Joe hand over the leadership.
Scheek stated that he was grabbed, pushed and pulled during the confrontation. He says he suffered physical complaints as a result.
“I currently have an unpleasant stabbing pain in my back. I have pain in my arms and shoulder,” the chairman of the supervisory board stated.
RvC member Joan Nibte also says she was handled roughly. She says she was pushed and suffered pain in her arm as a result. Both commissioners have announced that they will file a police report.
According to Scheek, doors in the building were also locked during the confrontation, preventing staff members from freely leaving. He stated that some employees had to pick up their children but were unable to leave the premises.
These allegations have not yet been independently confirmed.
Conflicting accounts of events
During the events, discussion also arose over the alleged detention of Jap-A-Joe by members of the RvC.
Scheek emphatically rejects this allegation. According to him, the board had come to the building solely to implement the administrative transfer that the commissioners say is legally required.
He states that the board did not use violence against Jap-A-Joe and that any disputes over her legal position must be resolved through legal proceedings.
Jap-A-Joe left the TAS building under escort at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The transfer sought by the commissioners had not taken place by then.
Legal conflict over powers
Behind the confrontation lies a fundamental difference of opinion regarding Jap-A-Joe’s legal position.
According to the RvC, her statutory five-year appointment term expired on October 19, 2026. The commissioners state that, as of October 20, they have temporarily been placed in charge of the administration of TAS under the Wet Telecommunicatievoorzieningen.
Minister Raymond Landveld of Transport, Communicatie en Toerisme (TCT) informed Jap-A-Joe in writing that her term of office had ended and that she must transfer her administrative responsibilities.
Jap-A-Joe disputes this interpretation. In a letter to the minister dated October 20, she refers to her employment contract, which she says guarantees legal certainty and administrative continuity.
She therefore states that there is no absence of the director, as referred to in Article 4, paragraph 2, of the Wet Telecommunicatievoorzieningen.
This leaves the question of whether the expiry of her appointment term automatically means that she loses her powers as director.
Brunswijk disputes approach concerning Jap-A-Joe
ABOP chairman Ronnie Brunswijk had earlier criticised the way in which attempts are being made to remove Jap-A-Joe from her position.
In an interview with ABC Suriname, he stated that a presidential resolution is required for her dismissal. According to Brunswijk, the RvC cannot independently determine that she must step down from her position.
He also questioned the role of the police during an earlier attempt to remove Jap-A-Joe from her office. According to the ABOP leader, legal procedures must be followed in such measures.
Brunswijk has also stressed that an investigation into the course of events within TAS is necessary.
Political tensions reach parliament
The events at TAS also led to a confrontation between parliamentarians in De Nationale Assemblée (Suriname’s parliament) on Tuesday.
ABOP parliamentarian Stanley Betterson asked critical questions about the actions of the RvC and the treatment of Jap-A-Joe. He demanded clarity from the government regarding the commissioners’ powers.
NDP parliamentary group leader Rabin Parmessar believed that Betterson was drawing conclusions too quickly. According to him, the relevant documents, including the appointment decisions and any agreements, must first be examined before it can be established whether the RvC acted beyond its powers.
The discussion became heated. After two adjournments, the ABOP parliamentary group left the meeting.
Questions over administrative responsibility remain unanswered
With the failed transfer, the situation at TAS has not yet been resolved. The commissioners maintain their statutory powers, while Jap-A-Joe continues to defend her position as director.
In addition to the legal dispute over her appointment, the confrontation now also raises questions about the maintenance of public order and the protection of those involved during administrative conflicts.
Scheek’s statement in particular that the police were allegedly ordered to withdraw requires clarification. As long as it remains unclear who may have given such an instruction and why, the police’s role during the escalation will also remain a subject of discussion. An official explanation from the competent authorities on this matter is not yet known.
