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Vol. 31, Issue 49 QUEENS/LONG ISLAND/BRONX/MANHATTAN December 4-10, 2020
TENSIONS
RISE
AGAIN
Suriname’s ex strongman
talks about use of weapons
By Bert Wilkinson
Political tensions rose in the
Caribbean Community nation
of Suriname this week after
authorities accused a former
president and two-time ex coup
maker of threatening the security
of the state by calling for the
use of ‘weapons’ to combat ills in
the society.
Desi Bouterse was this week
accused of making irresponsible
and inflammatory remarks
when he told a National Democratic
Party (NDP) forum that
there may be the need to again
use weapons to deal with a
growing list of problems in society
that includes increased poverty
levels.
The remarks of the former
president, 75, came hours after
he had appeared before a special
court tribunal, for the
very first time in more than 12
years of hearings, to deny being
responsible for the December
1982 murders of 15 government
opponents who were executed
at a colonial era Dutch fort for
allegedly plotting with western
nations to reverse the February
1980 military coup that Bouterse
had himself led as a young,
radical army sergeant. A court a
year ago ordered he be jailed for
20 years for the mass murders.
His statements to NDP supporters
have been widely condemned
by the governing coalition
of President Chan Santokhi
and civil society professionals,
including activist Ashwin Ramcharan
who wondered in an open
letter whether “there is another
coup coming” to go along with
the one in 1980 and a second on
Christmas Eve in 1990.
Bouterse’s NDP had served
two consecutive terms in office
in addition to a three-year term
at the close of the 90s that was
cut short by protests over the
deteriorating economic situation
in Suriname at the time.
His party recently headed to the
opposition benches after dropping
to 16 from a majority of 26
seats in the late May elections.
Speaking to supporters,
Bouterse urged supporters to be
alert and keep a close eye on the
situation in Suriname, noting
that racial tensions have risen
to levels not seen in decades
and poverty was on the rise.
These ills can only be combated
with weapons, he said as alarm
bells immediately rang in the
halls of power in Paramaribo,
the capital.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Associated Press /Kathy Willens
James wins challenge to Green Light Law
By Nelson A. King
New York Attorney General
Letitia James on Tuesday won a
court appeal protecting undocumented
Caribbean and other
immigrants’ ability to legally
obtain driver’s licenses.
The US Court of Appeals for
the Second Circuit in New York
on Tuesday upheld a lower, or
district, court decision that dismissed
a lawsuit brought by
New York’s Erie County Clerk
Michael Kearns that would
have blocked the law, known as
the Green Light Law, from taking
effect last year.
“The Green Light law is legal
and enforceable, and today’s
decision marks the third federal
court to dismiss challenges
brought seeking to enjoin the
law,” James said. “This law provides
protections to all New
Yorkers by making our roads
safer, growing our economy,
and allowing immigrants to
come out of the shadows to sign
up as legal drivers in our state.
“As the state’s attorney and
chief law enforcement officer,
I am proud to have vigorously
defended this law and will continue
to do so against all who
oppose it,” she added.
Last November, US District
Judge Elizabeth Wolford granted
a motion by James to dismiss
this lawsuit, which was the subject
of the appeal.
Additionally, last December,
James won dismissal of
a separate lawsuit brought by
New York’s Rensselaer County
Clerk Frank Merola — who also
sought to block the Green Light
law from taking effect — in
the US District Court for the
Northern District of New York.
New York State Sen. Zellnor
Y. Myrie, whose grandmother
hailed from Jamaica, welcomed
the implementation of the law
giving undocumented Caribbean
and other immigrants the
right to obtain driver’s licenses.
“This is a major victory for
immigrant rights, and will also
improve street safety, lower
insurance rates for drivers and
bring in as much as $50 million
in revenue to the state
each year,” said the representative
for the 20th Senatorial Dis-
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