The chairman of the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), Ronnie Brunswijk, says his party will vote against the ratification of the border protocol between Suriname and France
Brunswijk, a former Suriname vice president, who is also the Vice-Chairman of the National Assembly, made his announcement on Sunday during the Liba Krutu indicating that his party will vote against the ratification of the border protocol between Suriname and France. ABOP is part of the governing coalition here, but Brunswijk said that as far as he is concerned, the interests of the residents of the interior outweigh unity within the coalition.
‘I will tell them that I am voting against this law, because the interior does not want it,’ Brunswijk told the gather, arguing that it became clear during the krutu that the Aucan community is opposed to the protocol.
The border protocol was by Suriname and France in 2021 when ABOP was also part of the government, and Brunswijk was Vice President under the Chan Santokhi government. However, the final approval of the protocol must be made by the National Assembly.
Following the Krutu , Parliament will subsequently consider the draft law approving the protocol between Suriname and France regarding the border between Suriname and French Guiana.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Ashwin Adhin said that Parliament has worked intensively on this subject since the initial consideration on November 17, 2025.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the National Assembly that was schedule to travel to Stoelmanseiland to attend the Krutu did not do so on Sunday.
The chairman of the committee, Rabin Parmessar, said the government had the responsibility of informing the border communities about the protocol and not the National Assembly.
Parmessar said that the necessary administrative procedures for the trip could not be completed on such short notice and that as a result, the delegation of the Committee of Rapporteurs, which was to attend the meeting as observers, remained in Paramaribo.
‘The administrative procedures could not be completed in time. In doing so, I did not want to deviate from the applicable procedures of the National Assembly and the government,’ he said.
Last week, Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation Minister, Melvin Bouva, said the government would participate in the ceremony with Granman Bono Velantie of the Aucaners regarding the border treaty between Suriname and France.
Bouva outline the government’s position to the National Assembly after legislators decided to postpone consideration of the legislation to give the traditional authorities the opportunity to hold internal consultations first.
Adhin said he had received a request from the Aucaners Granman Bono Velantie for a so-called ‘ liba Krutu ‘ be held first and scheduled for August 2.
‘Out of respect for the traditional authority, I cannot do otherwise than ask for your understanding in this matter. Therefore, I am adjourning the discussion of this agenda item until after the Krutu ,’ Adhin said.
But Parmessar said the Granman Bono Velanti himself had not traveled to the meeting. He said consultations did, however, take place with chief captains and other traditional leaders. Parmessar said it appears that the leaders and residents present still have many questions regarding the border protocol and want to be informed in detail before further steps are taken.
‘From what I understand, people want to be properly informed one more time about the entire process,’ he said, adding ‘it was a meeting of the Granman and not of the parliament.
‘The preparation and provision of information regarding the treaty are primarily a task of the government,’ according to Parmessar, noting that the concerns of many traditional authorities focus less on the determination of the border line itself than on the consequences of enforcement following ratification of the protocol.
Asked for his reaction to the statement made by Brunswijk, the committee chairman said he would be inviting the parliamentary group leaders for consultation as soon as possible.