Post #1: Looking into Suriname
While thinking about South America, many rarely remember, myself included, about the three small countries sitting on the northern coast of the continent. In particular is Suriname, the smallest country in South America settled in between Guyana and French Guiana, with a population of 534,000.
Previously known as Dutch Guiana until it gained independence from the Netherlands in 1975, Suriname happens to be one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the Americas. Recently, Holland’s Foreign Minister Stef Blok stated that Suriname's ethnically diverse population has resulted in the country to be a ‘failed state’. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, a Surinamese politician apart of the Progressive Reform Party, denied Blok’s statement stating that Suriname’s issues and sometimes label as a ‘failed state’ is caused by political issues, corruption, and overall a lack of good governance.
Suriname is currently ranked as 114 (out of 178) on the Fragile State Index and rely on gold, oil, and agriculture as economic income. Unfortunately, it is also noted to have a relatively prominent issue with trafficking; this includes both women and children forced into sex trafficking along with men, women, and children forced into labor, sometimes in mining camps.
The government is supposedly in the process of implementing a written plan that will work towards eliminating trafficking altogether; however, I’m not sure if this will be implemented soon or be effective. If it is only a written plan, I fear that it will be pushed back and the problem of trafficking will only worsen. I say this with apprehension due to the report from the Central Intelligence Agency stating:
resources were insufficient to conduct investigations in the country’s interior; more trafficking victims were identified in 2014 than in 2013, but protective services for adults and children were inadequate, with a proposed government shelter for women and child trafficking victims remaining unopened (2015).
After searching for more recent data, I found a trafficking report from 2017 stating that shelters have been opened for victims and convictions have increased. Despite this investigations and prosecutions of decreased and courts rulings have been nowhere near severe enough for convicted traffickers.
Veering into more of the economic side of Suriname, in 2016 the IMF approved $478 million to aid the country’s economic reform program. Suriname took quite the blow due to the closing of the Suralco alumina plant in 2015. October 2016 saw to the opening of the second industrial gold mine in Suriname which aided in the loss but it proved to not be enough. In order to have a more diverse economy, the government is attempting to focus on developing tourism.
Early January 2017, Alcoa officially stated that it would permanently close down and dismantle the refinery in Suriname. The company and the government are said to be working together so that Alcoa’s exit is smooth. However, the company’s departure proved to be a huge blow for the small country. The decision to leave brought recession and inflation because Suriname has been dependent on the aluminum industry, specifically with bauxite. The process was covered by the Post-Gazette.
It seems as though in terms of negotiations between the government and Alcoa they are trying to focus on the costs of cleanup but also how to come out alright economically. However, on the other hand, the people are more so worried about pollution and what it has done to their land and if there are other harmful materials leaking into ground water.
With the government and commission members having signed confidentiality agreements, the people are worried about the outcome because of the lack of information they are receiving. I would also be worried with this lack of information; but luckily it seems as though Alcoa will follow through and do their best to go above and beyond to clean up the area they were in. As negotiations continue though, only time will tell.
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