WORLD WORLDWIDE CANADA News Journal Update - (en) Canada, Collectif Emma Goldman - Suriname: Riot against high prices and corruption (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 It was in response to the call of trade unions and opposition groups to the

government in place that thousands of people demonstrated in the streets of the
capital, Paramaribo, on February 17. The country, grappling with high inflation
and a heavy foreign debt, is plunged into a serious economic crisis. To this must
be added, at the request of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which is
demanding a reduction in expenditure (1), the cutting of subsidies for
electricity, petrol, gas and water. As a result, prices are constantly rising,
including food prices, and it is becoming more and more difficult, if not
impossible, for many people to meet their basic needs (2). Remember that the
minimum wage is 57 cents an hour in this former Dutch colony. Faced with this
situation, the demonstrators demanded the departure of President Chandrikapersad
Santokhi and Vice-President Ronnie Brunswijk.

The fed up of the population manifested itself in a riot in the capital. People
have almost managed to enter the National Assembly. Clashes ensued with police
who fought off the rioters with tear gas and rubber bullets. The government also
sent in the army and imposed a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.
The main Internet service provider in the country, Telesur, has cut off all
access to social networks, an unprecedented censorship for Suriname.

The oil Eldorado

For the government, oil exploitation could help the country's economy.
TotalEnergies, a multinational oil company based in France, has carried out
exploration work offshore, off Suriname, and has declared that the field has
enough reserves for exploitation from 2025. This start is seen as favorable by
the government. However, for this country whose economy revolves around the
exploitation of natural resources (bauxite, gold, timber), extractivism has never
brought any benefit to the population. Indeed, the economic fallout goes far more
to the ruling classes and multinational corporations than to the people of
Suriname. It's a safe bet that nothing will change with oil, especially since it
is a French multinational that will be at the head of the project.

The people are not fooled. Many fear the effects of oil exploitation on climate
change. Paramaribo, the country's capital, is very vulnerable and a rise in sea
level could overwhelm the city. According to the IPCC, Suriname is one of the
countries at high risk of rising sea levels. Between government mismanagement,
foreign multinationals and climate change, part of the Surinamese population is
not keen on the idea of exploiting oil to "save" the country's economy.

Solidarity with the popular uprising! Full support for the Surinamese people who
are fighting to live with dignity against their corrupt elites and the capitalist
exploitation imposed by the IMF and the multinationals!

1. In 2021, the Surinamese government and the IMF signed a 3-year plan worth $690
million. However, this loan comes with a panoply of structural reforms to be put
in place by the government. And since the IMF is far from being a good Samaritan,
these reforms aim to "clean up" and get the economy back on its feet and not to
help local populations. This organization, cantor of capitalism, imposes its
rules and grants this loan with an interest rate based on the "market". If the
plan is not respected, the IMF freezes the funds supposed to go to the requesting
country, which has just happened in Suriname. Very often, the implementation of
these reforms leads to the dismantling of the social safety net, the sale of
public possessions to private investors and the opening of the country to
multinationals which take advantage of "bargains" and discount sales to
monopolize part of the local economy. For examples, just look at Europe, more
specifically Greece, which has undergone several IMF restructuring plans.

2. The oil companies Sol Petroleum (based in Barbados) and Rubis (France) demand
to be paid before delivery, which is difficult to do for a country in economic
crisis with little liquidity. As a result, gasoline is becoming increasingly
scarce and prices are rising.

by Emma Goldman Collective

http://ucl-saguenay.blogspot.com/2023/02/suriname-emeute-contre-la-vie-chere-et.html
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