ROGER JANSSEN In search of a path In search ROGER JANSSEN ROGER JANSSEN 1975 to 1991 policy of Suriname from An analysis of the foreign In search of a path An analysis of the foreign policy of Suriname from 1975 to 1991 In search The foreign policy of small states is an often neglected topic, which is particularly the case when it comes to Suriname. How did the young Republic deal with its dependency on the Netherlands for development aid after 1975? Was Paramaribo following a certain foreign policy strategy of a path or did it merely react towards internal and external events? What were the decision making processes in defi ning the foreign policy course and who was involved in these processes? And why was a proposal An analysis of the foreign policy discussed to hand back the right of an independent foreign and defence policy to a Dutch Commonwealth government in the early 1990s? of Suriname from 1975 to 1991 These questions are examined here in depth, in the fi rst comprehensive analysis wof Suriname’s foreign policy from 1975 to 1991. The book provides readers interested in Caribbean and Latin American affairs with a detailed account of Suriname’s external relations. Moreover, the young Republic may stand as a case study, as it confronted the diffi culties and challenges that small developing states often face. Roger Janssen (1967), born in the Dutch-German border region of Cleve, migrated to Australia in 1989. He received his education as a historian at the University of Western Australia where he obtained a Ph.D. in 1999. During his graduate and post-graduate studies, the main focus of his research was directed towards the social-economic and political developments of the Dutch Caribbean after the Second World War. Currently he lives and works in the Netherlands. IN SEARCH OF A PATH For my parents Marianne and Johannes koninklijk instituut voor taal-, land- en volkenkunde Caribbean Series 27 roger janssen IN SEARCH OF A PATH An analysis of the foreign policy of Suriname from 1975 to 1991 KITLV Press Leiden 2011 Published by: KITLV Press Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) P.O. Box 9515 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands website: www.kitlv.nl e-mail: [email protected] KITLV is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) Cover: Creja ontwerpen, Leiderdorp Cover photo: The fl ag of Surinam was raised on 5 December 1975 at a ceremony held in front of United Nations Headquarters, following the admission of the newly inde- pendent country to the United Nations as the 144th Member State. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim making a statement during the ceremony. Left to right: Henricus Augustinus Franciscus Heidweiller, the fi rst Permanent Representative of Surinam to the UN; Henck Arron, Prime Minister of Surinam; Secretary-General; Gaston Thorn (Luxembourg), President of the General Assembly. United Nations, New York, UN Photo # 107793. Used here under Fair Use stipulations. ISBN 978 90 6718 334 5 KITLV Press applies the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) to selected books, published in or after January 2011. Authors retain ownership of their copyright, but they permit anyone un restricted use and distribution within the terms of this license. Printed editions manufactured in the Netherlands Contents Acknowledgements vii List of abbreviations ix Introduction xv 1 Colonial rule 1 The arrival of the Dutch 2 Emerging socio-economic structures 6 The winding path towards political independence 11 II Independent in name only 25 Creation of the Surinamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Regional integration; A failed opportunity 32 The migration issue 38 Under the thumb of international capital 42 The ‘golden handshake’ or ‘golden handcuffs’ 48 The coup d’état of February 1980 54 Escalating internal and external tensions 60 III David versus Goliath 69 The Netherlands becomes the ‘enemy’ 69 The gloves are off 80 The termination of Dutch aid and its socio-economic consequences 90 IV Standing amongst giants 103 The push towards regional integration 104 Suriname feels the heat of the Cold War 110 Paramaribo under pressure from intergovernmental organizations and multinationals 123 The Libyan connection 127 vi Contents V The quest for international solidarity 135 A Surinamese perspective on world politics 136 Faced with international isolation 143 Paramaribo’s diplomatic counteroffensive 151 Human rights abuses and Suriname’s international image 157 The search for funds 163 VI Suriname on its knees 173 The Revolution’s failure 174 The emerging dialogue with the Netherlands 178 Going around in circles 184 Deadlocked relations 188 The civil war 191 Another diplomatic breakdown 195 Return to democracy 199 VII Return to the patron-client relationship 207 Suriname under civilian rule 208 Dutch-Surinamese rapprochement 210 Suriname’s descent into obscurity 216 The civil war and its international impact 222 Dutch-Surinamese relations, 1989-1990 228 The Christmas coup 238 VIII Towards a Commonwealth? 245 An idea emerges 246 The case for a Commonwealth 251 The case against a Commonwealth 255 The Commonwealth’s collapse into oblivion 259 Conclusion 265 Epilogue 277 Appendices 295 Bibliography 331 Index of names 345 Acknowledgements This book is based on the thesis titled In search of a path; An analysis of Suriname’s foreign policy from 1975 to 1991, presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Department of History at the University of Western Australia in 1998. The original PhD thesis could not have been written without the assistance of the late Professor Frank Broeze who tirelessly gave advice throughout the project. I would also like to acknowledge the support received from the Scholars’ Centre at the University of Western Australia, particularly for their persistence in procuring sources from abroad. In addition, I wish to express my gratitude to the Royal Library in The Hague for providing me with aid and resources and to the KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies in Leiden for offering me the opportunity to publish this analysis. Finally, I would like to thank my friends in and from Perth, Australia, whose support has been most gratefully received. List of abbreviations ABN Algemene Bank Nederland, General Bank of the Netherlands ACP African, Caribbean and Pacifi c countries AG Actie Group, Action Group Alcoa Aluminium Company of America APC Armoured Personnel Carrier ASFA Associatie van Surinaamse Fabrikanten, Association of Surinamese Manufacturers AVV Amsterdams Volksverzet, Amsterdam People’s Opposition Movement BEP Bosneger Eenheids Partij, Bush Negro Unity Party BOMIKA Bond van Militair Kader, Union of Military Cadre BVD Binnenlandse Veiligheidsdienst, Dutch homeland security; now AIVD CARICOM Caribbean Community and Common Market CBI Caribbean Basin Initiative CCK Comité Christelijke Kerken, Committee of Christian Churches CDA Christen Democratisch Appèl, Christian Democratic Party CIA Central Intelligence Agency CLO Centrale Landsdienaren Organisatie, Civil Servants Association CONS Commissie Ontwikkelingssamenwerking Nederland- Suriname, Commission for Development Cooperation between the Netherlands and Suriname COPEI Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente, Political Electoral Independent Organization Committee; also known as Partido Social Cristiano, Social Christian Party CRI Centrale Recherche Informatiedienst, Central Research and Information Service CSM CARICOM Single Market C-47 Centrale 47, Central 47; a federation of 47 trade unions organized by the PNR DA’91 Democratisch Alternatief 1991, Democratic Alternative 1991 x List of abbreviations DEA Drug Enforcement Agency D66 Democraten 66, Democrats 66; Dutch centre-left liberal party EC European Community ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean EDF European Development Fund EEC European Economic Community EMM Eendracht Maakt Macht, Unity Makes Strong EU European Union FAL Federatie van Arbeiders in de Landbouw, Federation of Agricultural Labourers FAO Food and Agricultural Organization FDO/Front Front voor Democratie en Ontwikkeling, Front for Democracy and Development FF French Franc FNV Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, Federation Dutch Labour Movement GDP Gross Domestic Product GNP Gross National Product GUNT Gouvernement d’Union Nationale de Transition, Transitional Government of National Unity G-77 The Group of 77; an association of 77 developing nations HABITAT UN Human Settlements Programme HDS Herstel Democratie Suriname, Restoration of Democracy Suriname HPP Hernieuwde Progressieve Partij, Renewed Progressive Party; founded as Hindostaanse Progressieve Partij, Hindustani Progressive Party IADB Inter-American Development Bank IBA International Bauxite Association IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ICJ International Commission of Jurists IDA International Development Association IIRSA Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America ILO International Labour Organization IMF International Monetary Fund ITU International Telecommunication Union KLM Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, Royal Dutch Airlines KTPI Kaum Tani Persatuan Indonesia, Indonesian Peasants’ Union; in 1987 renamed Kerukanan Tulodo Pranatan Inggil, Party for National Unity and Solidarity List of abbreviations xi MOP Meerjaren Ontwikkelingsprogramma, Long-term