Gregory Rusland, strongly denied them. Chairman Rusland claimed that Venetiaan had sent him a message via WhatsApp to inform him that “he is on leave for the time being.” “I have not received any message about Mister Venetiaan cancelling his membership. He only sent me an app, informing me that he would go on leave. To my knowledge that does not mean that the membership has been cancelled. Besides I have heard Mister Venetiaan urging people not to cancel their membership,” Rusland told Times of Suriname. The chairman urged the members of the NPS to keep treating the honorary chairman with respect. “I will not allow people to disrespect the honorary chairman,” said Rusland. Venetiaan who is a former head of state recently made it clear that he does not agree with Rusland’s decision to sign an agreement in principle with the National Democratic Party (NDP). He deemed the decision of Rusland to work with the rival “terrible.” In an interview with ABC Venetiaan explained that he deliberately chose to remain behind the scenes before and after the elections to give the structures of the NPS the opportunity to determine their own course. “But this decision has made it impossible for me to stay quiet. No good history exists between the NPS and the people of the NDP. This brings me back to the period of the military coup and the coups against the NPS administrations. The president elect, Mrs Simons, does not have my confidence,” said

Venetiaan who claimed that the chairwoman of the NDP, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, does not keep her promises and also dos not use her moral authority to prevent risky situations. Venetiaan pointed out that Simons talks about mistakes that were made but does not specify the mistakes and also does not apologize. The former chairman of the NPS made it clear that the current chairman and the board of the green part have set the wrong course. “I have informed Rusland that I would no longer show my face in

‘Grun Dyari’ except when there is a meeting of the structures or when they are prepared to consider a different course. The current situation is terrible for the party as well as Suriname,” said Venetiaan. Rusland responded by saying that the decision to sign the agreement in principle comes from the structures and that he would stick to the guidelines that are anchored in the bylaws of the party. He also made it clear that whenever a decision is made within an organization there will always be different reactions. “There will always be people who will oppose the decision, people who remain neutral and those who respond positively. It is not unusual to hear negative comments in this phase. The most important thing is for decisions to be made in a democratic manner.”