In a surprising announcement that has exposed growing rifts within Suriname’s governing coalition, General Chairman of the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) Ronnie Brunswijk has confirmed his party will vote against ratifying the long-pending border agreement between Suriname and France. Brunswijk, who also serves as Vice Chairman of Suriname’s National Assembly, made the formal declaration during the Liba Krutu traditional gathering held Sunday on Stoelmanseiland.
Even though ABOP holds a key position as a member of the current ruling coalition, Brunswijk made clear that prioritizing the needs of interior communities outweighs maintaining partisan unity within the government. “I will tell them I am voting against this bill, because the interior does not want it,” Brunswijk stated directly to attendees at the gathering. His remarks confirm that the entire ABOP parliamentary caucus will formally block the approval of the border protocol when it comes to a vote in the National Assembly.
Brunswijk further justified the party’s opposition by noting that the Krutu gathering made clear the Aukan community, one of the largest Indigenous groups in Suriname’s interior border region, firmly rejects the terms of the agreement. The move has shocked political observers in Suriname due to the unusual timeline of the party’s opposition: the border protocol was originally signed by both Suriname and France back in 2001, when ABOP was already part of the national government, and Brunswijk himself held the post of vice president under current President Chan Santokhi at the time of signing. Despite the executive branch signing the agreement years ago, final ratification requires a majority vote of approval from the National Assembly, a step that has been delayed for decades.
Footage of Brunswijk’s announcement at the traditional gathering has been shared widely across social media platforms, posted by ABOP Member of Parliament Genevievre Jordan, who was in attendance at the Krutu.