Heads of state will be absent on Thursday for the inauguration of Desi Bouterse as president of Suriname. The former dictator was democratically elected as leader of the small country on the north coast of South America, a former Dutch colony.

In the coming years, Mr Bouterse must work hard to fulfil the potential of a developing country with half a million inhabitants. It cannot be overlooked that the hope of many Surinamers for change has been placed in the hands of a man who has been convicted in the Netherlands of dealing in narcotics.

Disappointed
At the last moment Hugo Chávez, the leftist president of Venezuela, let it be known that he would not be attending Thursday’s festivities in Paramaribo. He says he’s too busy concluding a peace deal with Colombia. Many Surinamers are disappointed, because they had seen his promise to be there as proof that their country was taken seriously in Latin America.

President Chávez isn’t the only one staying away from the festivities. The post-colonial nerves in Dutch-Surinamese relations have been jangling again following Mr Bouterse’s victory. A year or so ago, the new Dutch Ambassador to Suriname, Aart Jacobi, said he hoped for a more businesslike and less emotional relationship between the two countries. But following the election, the Netherlands made it clear that it did not welcome Mr Bouterse as president.

Not welcome
And so the tone was set. Shortly before the inauguration, the incoming Surinamese Foreign Minister, Winston Lackin, made it plain that the Dutch ambassador would not be welcome at the swearing-in ceremony. “If the Netherlands cannot recognise the will of the Surinamese people, then as far as we’re concerned its diplomatic representative isn’t welcome,” said Mr Lackin. The Netherlands responded by saying that it had received an invitation, and therefore it would attend. “As long as the invitation hasn’t been withdrawn, we assume that we’re welcome,” was the standpoint of the Dutch embassy. A former diplomat remarked that there is bound to be a tightrope between the two countries in the coming years.

As far as support from the rest of the world is concerned: Venezula is sending its foreign minister, Cuba a junior minister, the prime minister of neighbouring Guyana will attend, and Brazil is sending a minister of state. The French ambassador will be there, along with the ambassadors of other countries.

Traumatic
They will shake the hand of Desi Bouterse, who as a sergeant staged a coup on 25 February 1980 along with 15 other officers. Despite initial enthusiasm from the population, dissatisfaction soon emerged. That ultimately led to one of the most traumatic events in Surinamese history: in the night of 8 and 9 December 1982, 15 prominent opponents of the regime were shot dead by soldiers. The ‘December Murders’ brought the country into isolation. The need for money turned Suriname into a transit country for cocaine, from Colombia to Europe.

After the return to democracy in 1987, Mr Bouterse set up his National Democratic Party. In 1988 he was convicted in absentia of being involved in drugs trafficking. In Suriname, a legal case has been going on for the past three years in which Mr Bouterse is the chief suspect for the December Murders.

Man of the People
Despite that, nearly 30 years since his first taste of power, Desi Bouterse has achieved the highest office in the land – the presidency. And although the Netherlands in particular has reacted emotionally to the election of Mr Bouterse, the former coup-perpetrator is popular with many Surinamers. In contrast to his predecessor Ronald Venetiaan he’s a ‘man of the people’. His party has a clear vision for the development of the country. And development is something the previous government failed to deliver.

Hope for change in the country has been placed in the hands of Desi Bouterse’s government. And that’s the sword of Damocles that hangs above Mr Bouterse’s head. For him it’s now or never. If he doesn’t deliver on the expectations, it’s the end politically for him and his National Democratic Party. Mr Bouterse appears to recognise that. He has appointed three experts to the posts of vice-president, minister of finance and president of the Central Bank. ‘The benefit of the doubt’ is an often-heard expression at the moment in Paramaribo.

Wood, gold and bauxite
Mr Bouterse is taking it seriously. Suriname has great potential. Wood, gold and bauxite are materials which can make the country rich. And Mr Bouterse wants to start up domestic production. For that, foreign investors are needed, and they in turn need a stable climate.

So it’s probably a good thing for Suriname that Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez is focusing his attention on more pressing matters. His presence as the only foreign head of state might well have labelled Suriname too firmly as a country in the mould of Venezuela, where ‘capitalist’ investments are unsafe.