Dési Bouterse

Dési Bouterse
President of Suriname
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 August 2010
Vice President	Robert Ameerali
Preceded by	Ronald Venetiaan
Personal details
Born	13 October 1945 (1945-10-13) Domburg, Suriname
Political party	National Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Ingrid Bouterse-Figueira
Profession	Army Officer
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɑutərsə]) (born 13 October 1945) is a Surinamese politician who has been the ninth President of Suriname since 2010.

As an army officer, he was the de facto leader of Suriname through most of the 1980s, serving as Chairman of the National Military Council. Later, as leader of the National Democratic Party (Nationale Democratische Partij, NDP), Bouterse was elected as President of Suriname on 19 July 2010 and inaugurated on 12 August 2010.

Biography

Bouterse as military leader in 1985

Early years

Born in Paramaribo District, Bouterse grew up in Suriname. He attended the Middelbare Handelsschool and acquired the MULO diploma (roughly equivalent to junior secondary general education). He received his military education in the Netherlands.

Chairman of the National Military Council

Bouterse's name is closely bound with the military regime that controlled Suriname from the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état until the beginning of the 1990s. On 25 February 1980, the government of newly-independent Suriname underwent a military coup which declared the country to be a Socialist Republic and Bouterse became Chairman of the National Military Council. President Johan Ferrier was forced out of office by Bouterse pressure in August 1980, and several months after the coup d'état by Bouterse most of the political authority transferred to the military leadership. From then until 1988, the titular Presidents were essentially army-installed by Bouterse, who ruled as a de facto leader with few practical checks on his power.

Drug trafficking

Since the return of democratic government, Bouterse has been accused on various occasions of involvement in illegal drug trafficking. In July 1999, he was convicted in absentia in the Netherlands to nine years in prison for cocaine trafficking. Since 1999 there is an international warrant for his arrest ordered by Europol. According to the United Nations Convention against illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, since he was convicted before his election as Head of State since 2010 he has no immunity. This was confirmed by various specialists in International law. Wikileaks published in 2011 a cable in which the American embassy confirmed Bouterse's involvement, together with that of Shaheed Roger Khan from Guyana, in the drugs trade. Representatives of the parliament say that President Bouterse should give an explanation for the Wikileaks cable, but officials from the government discard this as not being their problem.

December murders

Although he was convicted in the Netherlands, he has remained free in Suriname. The Surinamese government has said that it is preparing a case against the perpetrators of the December murders to be brought before a judge. The cases were ongoing as of April 2006. Bouterse has denied any involvement in the killings on 8 December 1982 at Fort Zeelandia, in which 15 prominent opponents of the military regime were shot dead. He denied being present and that the decision was made by the commander of the battalion, Paul Bhagwandas, who died in 1996. He did, however, accept political responsibility.

Moiwana'86

Moiwana is a Maroon village in the Marowijne district in the east of Suriname. During the Suriname Guerrilla War between the Surinamese military regime, headed by Dési Bouterse and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswijk, Moiwana was the scene of the Moiwana massacre on November 29, 1986. The army attacked the village, killing at least 35 of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, and burning the house of Ronnie Brunswijk. The survivors fled with thousands of other inland inhabitants over the Marowijne river to neighbouring French Guiana.

The human rights organisation Moiwana '86 has committed itself to justice with regard to this event. A chief inspector of the police, Herman Gooding, was murdered in August 1990 while carrying out an investigation of the massacre. Reportedly he was forced out of his car near Fort Zeelandia and shot in the head, with his body left outside the office of Desi Bouterse. Other police investigators fled the country, stalling the investigation.

The government has stated that it is still continuing its investigation of the massacre, but that prospective witnesses had either moved, died or were uncooperative. It has also said that an investigation of the murder of Herman Gooding was continuing. In August 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered Suriname to pay 3 million USD in compensation to 130 survivors of the massacre, and to establish a 1.2 million USD fund for the development of Moiwana.

President of Suriname

After the return of democratic government, led in succession by Ronald Venetiaan, Jules Wijdenbosch, and Venetiaan again, Bouterse tried repeatedly to return to power through elections. In the 2010 Surinamese legislative election, Bouterse and his coalition, the Mega Combination (De Mega Combinatie) were voted to become the biggest party in Suriname. The coalition failed to gain an absolute majority in parliament by three seats, requiring 51 seats. In order to secure the votes necessary to become President, Bouterse needed to cooperate with either Ronnie Brunswijk – his former enemy – or the Javanese leader Salam Somohardjo of the Peoples Alliance (Volks Alliantie), who had left the New Front party before the election. On July 19, 2010, Bouterse was elected as President of Suriname; he was installed to the office on August 12, 2010.

After his inauguration, Bouterse immediately honoured all nine still living conspirators, who together with Bouterse were involved in the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état, with the Grand Cordon of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star, the highest honour of Suriname. This led internationally to great controversy, since all nine are accused of involvement in the December murders in 1982, when thirteen civilians and two military officials were murdered because they opposed the military rule in Suriname.

Controversial Presidential Pardons

In December 2011 President Desi Bouterse has granted a pardon to his foster son Romano M. who is convicted for murder in 2005. Romano M. was convicted of the brutal robbery of a Chinese trader in 2002. Romano M. sat out a sentence of 15 years for manslaughter, robbery and throwing a hand grenade at the house of the Dutch ambassador. Judge Valstein-Montnor, also the judge in the December Murders-case, considered proven by evidence that Romano M. tried to commit a similar robbery at a later stage. This was however prevented by guards from the Dutch embassy. In response, Romano M. then threw a hand grenade from a car to the residence of the Dutch ambassador. The pardon caused commotion in the country, as it is the first time a President pardons a murder with robbery. "This is contrary to the natural justice of all Surinamese," said former justice minister Chandrikapersad Santokhi. "People that have committed such heavy offends, should not get a pardon." Bouterse’s staff denied that there was favoritism, as there were strong legal arguments for the pardon. MP Aziz Gajadien stated that the Bouterse-administration also intends to pardon predatory murderers, rapists and coke dealers, as they are now eligible for an early parole. Gajadien stated that 11 early releases are based on unclear criteria. Former convicts also appear near Bouterse. In Bouterse’s delegation that visited a South American summit, two other members apart from Bouterse, had a criminal drug record: former military Etienne Boerenveen and Hans Jannasch. "Such people now circulate around the state power", former president Venetian sneered. "Their history is known."

References

Political offices
Preceded by Ronald Venetiaan	President of Suriname 2010–present	Incumbent