Perry’s
30th Anniversary
Suriname’s President, Desi Bouterse.
Associated Press / Edward Troon Dinner
Specials
New York Steak
Shrimp Scampi over Rice
Chicken Parmigiana ala Perry
Brisket of Beef
Baby Back Ribs
Pork Chops Roasted Turkey
Boston Scrod
Grilled Chicken Scampi Style
Chicken Louisiana
Calf’s Liver
Beef or Chicken Siciliano
(over Roasted Potato)
Caribbean L 24 ife, January 17-23, 2020
Surinamese Prez fights jail time
wasted no time in moving to appear
knowing full well that the sentence will
be confirmed and imposed if he stays
away again.
The sentence has come five months
before the country votes for a new government.
Bouterse’s National Democratic
Party (NDP) has blamed the timing of
his sentence on a panel of judges, who it
says, is determined to damage and sabotage
his chances for reelection. That’s
the belief of the NDP.
So the party has called out thousands
of its supporters to assemble outside the
court to give support to the former army
sergeant turned coup maker and military
strongman, while he stands in the
dock before the panel. The case against
him and 24 other suspects, had been
going on for more than a decade. Bouterse
had only shown some contempt for
the proceedings and had opted to stay
away from sessions, being represented
only by his legal team. Irwin Kanhai,
his loyal, longtime attorney, is not that
enthused that he plans to appear but will
nevertheless turn up to represent him.
Now that the sentence has been handed
down, Bouterse is compelled to attend
court. Kanhai has given notice of appeal
against the sentence. Critics say that this
phase of the trial process will drag out
for years and will allow Bouterse to buy
time to stay out of prison and be legally
eligible to run in the next or any general
election in the near future.
As expected, opposition parties and
leaders have roundly criticized the NDP
for mobilizing its supporters to attend
the court, saying it is a clear effort to
intimidate the judges even though they
have withstood the withering criticisms
over the years and had proceeded with
their work.
“We see this as outright intimidation
of the judiciary,” said labor leader, Robby
Berenstein. “We therefore strongly reject
the NDP’s call for supporters to call on
people who, on 22 January, to deal with
Mr Bouterse’s opposition, who might
once again endanger the rule of law.
We see this as outright intimidation of
the judiciary.” Officials say it is unclear
whether police will grant permission for
the assembly near the court.
The 15 were killed at a downtown
colonial era Dutch fort that is ironically
just next door to the cabinet and presidential
office. Bullet holes in the walls
are still visible today.
The group had included four journalists,
academics, labor leaders and clergymen,
all accused of cozying up with
the west to overturn the 1980 coup that
had included grievances such as soldiers
demanding to be represented by a labor
union. Bouterse has denied ever giving
any order to execute the group but has
admitted political responsibility as the
then head of state and government.
Continued from Page 1
Census 2020 Complete Count
“A complete headcount in the 2020 Census
is crucial for the future well-being of
our city,” said Johnson. “We have to get this
right to ensure we receive the proper federal
funding for our schools, our roads, our
health care, our public housing, and more.
“This is our once-in-a-decade opportunity
to show the federal government that
we are here, and that we count,” he added,
stating that the City Council “pushed hard
to make sure we allocated $40 million in
the current budget for the efforts to count
every New Yorker, because every New Yorker
matters.”
Johnson said that community-based
organizations are “our trusted partners in
this effort and will ensure that we reach
every community across the five boroughs.
“Let’s get a complete and accurate count
and receive the federal funding we need
and deserve,” he urged.
With just eight weeks until New Yorkers
can begin completing the census online
for the first time starting March 12, 2020,
Mayor de Blasio and Menin also announced
that the City will invest $3 million in community
and ethnic media advertising to
ensure participation among the city’s most
historically undercounted communities.
According to the Office of the Mayor of
New York City, this figure represents the
largest such investment by the City in local
and community media for any campaign
to date.
The office said that the census campaign
will be advertising in a minimum of
16 languages, including several languages
spoken by New Yorkers with high levels of
limited proficiency in English.
“The NYC Complete Count Campaign
represents a historic and unprecedented
partnership between a mayoral administration,
the City Council, CUNY, and 157
community-based organizations across all
five boroughs, as well as the city’s three
library systems, labor unions, and civic
and private institutions of many types,” the
Mayor’s Office said.
Continued from Page 1
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