Former president, Ronald Venetiaan, is calling on the National Party of Suriname (NPS) not to abandon the coalition government of President Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi as the country is going through a socio-economic crisis.
“Let me be specific. The NPS has chosen to be in this coalition and support this president. NPS has chosen to be in this coalition in a strange way. I understand that in congress people will consider whether they should stay or leave,” said Venetiaan, the honorary NPS president.
“Let it not be that what in 1996 led to the severing of efforts to bring a better condition for the people… let it not be that it will be credited to the NPS,” said the 86-year-old, who served three times as head of state between 1991 and 2012.
But NPS Assembly member, Patricia Etnel does not share Ronald Venetiaan’s position and is insisting that the party must leave the coalition.
Writing on her Facebook page, she called on party members to vote in favor of leaving the coalition when the NPS holds its congress at the end of this month.
Following the May 25, 2020 general election, the coalition consisting of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), The Pertjajah Luhur (PL) and the NPS was formed.
VHP leader Santokhi was named president with ABOP leader, Ronnie Brunswijk, vice president and the coalition’s candidate for chairman of the National Assembly.
The NPS, which is a social democratic political party founded in 1946, is led by Gregory Rusland, who succeeded Venetiaan.
In her Facebook statement, Etnel wrote that this attitude of Venetian is the reason the party did not do well in the last general election.
“NPS must choose the future of the NPS and continue as an independent party in parliament and in political Suriname,” she said, adding “the NPS needs to get bigger and that will only be possible with seats, not with partners.”
Venetiaan, who was part of a panel discussion on Friday night, on the theme “Survival in the current crisis situation” argued that Suriname is still struggling with issues such as the availability of foreign currency, the value and stability of the local currency as well as the size of the earning capacity of the production and export sectors.
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