PARAMARIBO – Stichting Mulokot and six other organizations recently expressed their concern regarding the government’s plan to proclaim the...

Protection of Habitats and Residential Areas Act which is also known as the 5 Kilometer Radius Act. They made it clear that this law does not provide a structural solution to the collective land rights issue of the Indigenous and tribal communities. Although protection of habitats and residential areas is described in the law, the organizations deem the 5 kilometer radius zone unattainable. The organizations explained that traditional habitats cannot be delineated as a permanent circle around a village because the areas where the Amerindians cultivate crops or where they go hunting or fishing, scared areas and other areas that are of cultural and economic importance to them could stretch over huge distances. They also pointed out the slow pace at which Suriname executes the verdict of the Inter American Court of Human Rights. The organizations fear that the proclamation of a temporary law will be used as an excuse to delay the actual recognition of the collective land rights. They also complained that the government fails to consult them when it comes to decisions that affect the areas where tribal communities are located. Mulokot and its partners made it clear that decisions must not be made without their involvement as the government must also stick to the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). They do not want land rights to be used as a political instrument and they also do not want to be ome dependent on a government that comes into power. Mulokot and its partners urge President Jennifer Simons not to opt for the temporary law but to consult them first. “We do not want a temporary solutions that will once again delay a permanent solution”, said Mulokot, the Organization of the Indigenous in Suriname, Scv Juku Jume Maro, Stichting Key Holders of Sustainable Environment, the Association of Saamaka Communities, Making Waves and the Indigenous Collective Suriname.