The “February 17 experience” is making the organization more cautious, said its President, Robby Berenstein, who explained that the organizers’ views of the planned actions differed from those of their affiliates.
The union leader declined the invitation for dialogue from the federal executive board, as he does not intend to repeat issues that have long been on paper and awaiting application.
That had already been demonstrated several times, it was a delaying tactic, he said. “For us, that means starting all over again,” emphasized Berenstein.
For her part, the main figure of the organic movement, Maïsha Neus, described how people from different neighborhoods and districts turned up to help with the mobilization.
The first demand of the demonstrators, he stressed, is that Parliament study the electoral law without delay. But we have a long list. We will proceed in phases because we will not trade a single day,” he said.
He denied that Organico led the activists. There are our people in the group, but also others, like “Na Wi Sranan,” he clarified.
The departure will take place next Friday at 10 a.m. local time in the Plaza de la Independencia and it is not intended to cross the city on foot, he stressed.
This time it was a peaceful demonstration and it was not true that we called for looting, Neus asserted.
The protest call has been circulating on social media for several days and is signed by various people and organizations including Marge Getrouw, Siebrano Piqué, Martin Atencio, Rendall Feller, Marcel Oostburg and many others angry Suriname.
Earlier this month, Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi called for putting aside differences between individuals and groups and urged unity to address the nation’s socio-economic problems.
Last Friday, February 17, several people stormed the National Assembly to protest against the high inflation and against the austerity measures imposed by the government, such as the end of basic subsidies on the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund.
His action also caused looting and clashes with law enforcement this Friday, leading to the arrest of more than a hundred people.
lam/znc