Guna Castelen, who is the leader of the Surinaamse Partij
van de Arbeid (SPA) or Surinamese Labour Party was reported as saying that
corruption remained one of the biggest threats for the development of the
country. Corruption has, however, been a major problem for Suriname for many
years including during the Venetiaan administration of which Castelen was a
part. During his August 2010 inaugural speech President Bouterse had announced
a ‘crusade against corruption’. Castelen claims that that there is still corruption
in the country and he therefore regretted that the president has not touched
upon this issue in his address.
Castelen said that he was happy
that the President obviously recognises that during the past few years he has
‘filled a box with empty promises’. He claimed that the 2012 annual address was
less ambitious and more realistic than the two previous addresses but that a
number of new promises had been added.
One person who attended Bouterse’s address to parliament and
who supports Castelen was reported as saying “Look at the construction of
houses. During the 2010 election campaign Mr Bouterse was talking about a
target of 30,000 houses. Now he talks about 18,000. We will see if he
accomplishes half of this number. The government does not own land and in
Suriname there are not enough labourers to do the job.”
For more news and expert analysis about Suriname, please
see Suriname Politics &
Security.
© 2012 Menas Associates
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