DYSFUNCTION AND LIP-SERVICE: THE INDIGENOUS AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000080 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/USOAS FOR SARAH HANKINS, L/HRR FOR EVELYN ASWAD, WHA/CAR FOR JACKIE ROSHOLT E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2018 TAGS: OAS PREL PGOV NS SUBJECT: DYSFUNCTION AND LIP-SERVICE: THE INDIGENOUS AND POLITICS IN SURINAME REF: A. SECSTATE 4241 ¶B. 2007 PARAMARIBO 562 Classified By: Ambassador for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. The indigenous community in Suriname is small, socially and politically disadvantaged, and suffers from schismatic leadership. The Government of Suriname (GOS) paid heed to indigenous desires by approving the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the People (UN-DRIP), but has shown no signs of implementing it. The GOS is likely to continue to ply a non-confrontational line, supporting indigenous rights more in word than in deed. The most successful Embassy outreach to the indigenous has been the construction of a new, DoD-funded clinic in a District of Suriname which includes a high concentration of Amerindians. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) Post is pleased to provide the following information in response to reftel A. -------------- Indigenous Political Dysfunction -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Estimated at 3.7 percent of the population, or less than 20,000 people, Suriname,s Amerindian population has enjoyed little of the fruits of the consensus-based politics which have brought most other ethnic groups in Suriname into the reciprocal resource-allocation system the coalition government in practice represents. Rather, the Amerindians remain based in impoverished villages in Suriname,s rain forest interior, and have no explicit political representation in the government. During Suriname,s "Interior War" (roughly 1986 to 1992), Amerindians were armed as proxy groups by both sides in the conflict, and are still sometimes associated with threats to take the fight back up. To this day, there is little unity among tribes; the most prominent indigenous rights group is plagued by schism, with two competing individuals and their factions active in claiming to lead the organization. Moreover, Amerindians are stereotyped in Suriname as quiescent: they have sought to preserve their status quo, rather than taken opportunities to exploit resources or strive for success outside their communities. -------------- Declarations Don,t Count? -------------- ¶4. (C) Despite the community,s problems, Surinamese indigenous do regularly attract front-page press for their land and other rights claims. Moreover, the GOS seeks agreement from the indigenous on policies affecting the areas where they live. The GOS vote in favor of the UN-DRIP is an example of the GOS being conciliatory. In conversation with Post in 2006 Terence Craig, GOS Head of the Americas Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),expressed agreement that the UN-DRIP was a flawed document which could open a legal can of worms. Following the DRIP's passage, Craig told PolOff he doesn,t feel the indigenous in Suriname "have the capacity to understand or act on the DRIP." However, Craig noted in January 2008 that the indigenous in Suriname now seem to be working with multinationals such as BHP Billiton, and that he attended a "very professional" presentation by a U.S. consultant who has a degree in the rights of the indigenous: a considerable up-tick in indigenous leverage capability. Regarding the OAS DRIP, in October 2007 Chantal Elsenhout, then acting Head of the International Organizations Division at the MFA, was reluctant to express approval of U.S. plans for a "year of action" at the OAS, and pointed out to PolOff that the indigenous would not be pleased by the suspension of negotiations. However, she did confirm that the GOS has reservations about the text of the OAS-DRIP (ref B). -------------- Embassy Outreach -------------- ¶5. (U) The most successful Post outreach to Surinamese Amerindians has been the October 2007 completion of a new, DoD-funded health clinic in the district of Para. The district, which reaches into Suriname,s interior, includes a large indigenous population which will benefit from the clinic,s services. South Dakotans promoting the Embassy-backed State Partnership Program visited the indigenous village of Palameu in the summer of 2007 to PARAMARIBO 00000080 002 OF 002 establish tourism linkages, and are scheduled to visit again in March of 2008. Other Post outreach to Surinamese Amerindians has been mostly in the context of ceremonial and social. Ambassador Lisa Bobbie Schreiber Hughes,s visit to the remote Amerindian village of Cupido in January of 2007, where she met with the village headman, received significant news coverage. Her February 2007 visit to the even more remote Amerindian village of Kwamala Sumutu was more low-key. The Ambassador also attended "Day of the Indigenous" celebrations along with other Surinamese dignitaries including President Ronald Venetiaan. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: An indicator of the problems associated with the Amerindian community in Suriname is the reaction of one Embassy employee when Post explored the idea of putting together a lunch for Amerindian political leaders: she called them "terrorists," and when prodded could only come up with one person who she deemed "responsible" enough to be invited. In this context, the Government of Suriname,s modulated policy of appeasing Amerindian communities with lip-service adherence to documents such as the DRIP is understandable. However, so is their rolling of the eyes when indigenous rights are mentioned in private conversation. The Government of Suriname is likely to continue to steadfastly refuse to attach the UN-DRIP to policy -- and hope the small, isolated Amerindian communities remain disorganized enough not to make the GOS regret it. END COMMENT SCHREIBER HUGHES