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DE RUEHPO #0286/01 1361913
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161913Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8322
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 1029
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 1545
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 1427
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000286 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - LLUFTIG 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON NS
SUBJECT: GROWING DIVIDE WITHIN PRESIDENT VENETIAAN'S 
COALITION - A LOOK AT PERTJAJA LUHUR 
 
REF: PARAMARIBO 219 
 
PARAMARIBO 00000286  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary. President Ronald Venetiaan's eight-party 
governing coalition is becoming increasingly fractured as 
squabbles have escalated into testy standoffs in recent 
weeks.  The Javanese-based Pertjaja Luhur's (PL) temporary 
refusal to attend National Assembly sessions (DNA) over a 
personnel dispute with President Venetiaan exemplifies the 
ongoing gamesmanship and posturing that have preoccupied New 
Front Plus partners since coming together last summer; many 
are doubting the lasting power of the coalition.  This is 
the second in a series of cables on the coalition woes 
focusing on the ambitious and unpredictable PL.  Perhaps 
even more than the all-Maroon A-Combination (AC) featured in 
the first cable, PL is pivotal in keeping the coalition's 
majority intact.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
PERTJAJA LUHUR: A PIVOTAL PARTNER 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (U) As a result of an aggressive election campaign 
spearheaded by party chair and DNA speaker Paul Somohardjo, 
PL increased its number of DNA seats in the May 2005 
election and was key in allowing President Venetiaan to 
maintain his thin majority.  Of the 51 DNA seats available 
last May, PL's DNA seat count increased from four to six, 
while President Venetiaan's Creole-based National Party 
Suriname (NPS) lost eight seats (16 to 8), and Vice- 
President Ramdien Sardjoe's Hindustani-based United Reform 
Party (VHP) lost three seats (10 to 7).  With the NPS and 
VHP suffering heavy electoral losses, President Venetian's 
four party New Front coalition (NPS, VHP, PL, labor-oriented 
SPA) lost its majority and was forced to caucus with the 
three party AC coalition and the single seat DA91 party to 
form a 29-seat governing coalition dubbed the New Front 
Plus. In the new configuration, if PL were to pull its six 
seats out of the coalition, the President and other 
coalition partners would lose their majority. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Considered by many to be a shrewd politician, 
Somohardjo used his new political leverage after the 
election to gain the DNA speaker position for himself, but 
only after an initial push for the vice-presidency.  Many 
scoffed at his becoming speaker based on his unsavory past. 
In 2002, while serving as Minister of Social Affairs and 
Housing, Somohardjo allegedly accepted bribes to grant a 
contract for the construction of 1,000 houses, but the claim 
was dismissed in court.  In 2003 Somohardjo was sent on 
mandatory leave by President Venetiaan and subsequently 
resigned after he was found guilty of sexually harassing a 
teenage beauty pageant contestant. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Somohardjo, age 63, does not seem constrained by 
this past; he is working hard to bring all ethnic Javanese 
voters under his party's umbrella, while at the same 
attracting ethnic Chinese voters, including the growing 
number of recently-arrived Chinese immigrants.  According to 
Embassy sources, he is also targeting members of Maroon 
communities, contact eased through his party's control of 
the Ministry responsible for land zoning, an important issue 
for the Maroon constituency. 
 
---------------------------------- 
PERTJAJA LUHUR FLEXES ITS MUSCLES 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) While the eight parties of the New Front Plus 
continue to publicly maintain their unwieldy coalition is a 
strong one, the defense of narrow party interests is causing 
serious fissures.  Each party views the ministries under 
their control as enclaves for their own party's political 
rule.  This attitude led to a serious squabble between PL 
and President Venetiaan over PL Minister of Education Edwin 
Wolf's announcement on April 10 that he planned to replace 
his Deputy Permanent Secretary of Technical Services Rudy 
Wezenhagen, an NPS party member, with Ronny Tamsiran, a DNA 
and executive board member of PL.  Wolf had been acting on 
the orders of Somohardjo and his PL board. 
 
¶6. (U) Although it is normal practice for Ministers to 
suspend or reshuffle top officials at their Ministries to 
accommodate party members and confidants, the staff at the 
 
PARAMARIBO 00000286  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Ministry of Education voiced strong objects to this 
particular move to President Venetiaan.  Speaking in a radio 
interview the next day, President Venetiaan publicly 
admonished Minister Wolf, saying only the President and 
Council of Ministers have the authority to reshuffle senior 
government officials and called him inexperienced.  The 
President also publicly corrected Somohardjo, who had 
earlier said that the Minister of Education would be fully 
authorized to do so. 
 
¶7. (U) Upset by the remarks, Somohardjo stated in a party 
press release on April 13 that the party was "very offended" 
by the president's statements and that, until further 
notice, PL Ministers and DNA members would not attend 
meetings of the National Assembly and the Council of 
Ministers.  This prevented the DNA from convening since the 
absence of PL's six seats prevented the New Front Plus from 
forming a parliamentary quorum, as members of opposition 
parties also chose not attend sessions in order to deny the 
coalition a quorum. 
 
¶8. (U) The boycott only lasted until April 19, however, when 
closed-door talks held by New Front Plus leaders led to PL 
ending their protest and agreeing to keep Wezenhagen in his 
position. George Hering, spokesman for PL and personal 
advisor of Somohardjo, said the media had blown statements 
made by President Venetiaan out of proportion, and it was 
clear now that Venetiaan had not intended to offend the 
party or its officials. 
 
¶9. (U) A permanent break in the coalition was once again 
avoided by coalition partners finding common ground and 
communicating with each other after the fact, but skeptics 
wonder how long they can continue this constant wrangling 
and petty squabbling.  During the days following heavy 
flooding in the interior that began on May 6-7, Somohardjo 
was quick to carp about flood relief delays, a position 
clearly unwelcomed by his coalition partners organizing the 
disaster response.  The trend looks likely to continue with 
upcoming discussions for nominations of Ambassadors and 
supervisory boards at various public sector companies likely 
to cause a stir; Somohardjo has already indicated that he 
will settle for nothing less than six PL ambassadorships. 
 
-------- 
COMMENT 
-------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Somohardjo's dramatic form of protest was aimed at 
reminding his partners of his party's importance to the 
coalition's survival.  While cooperation between the A- 
Combination and the New Front has been less than stellar 
(see reftel), some observers close to the Embassy single out 
the opportunist and ambitious Somohardjo as the true threat 
to the coalition's stability.  A long-time Somohardjo 
confidant told POLOFF that Somohardjo is satisfied for the 
moment with his position, but in the future it is highly 
possible that he would seek new partners if this were to be 
to his advantage.  It was unlikely that Somohardjo was truly 
mollified when his recent differences with Venetiaan were 
settled, but that he was biding is time for a more decisive 
opportunity to strike.  At speeches made at a May 6 birthday 
celebration for Somohardjo, all coalition partners 
reaffirmed their commitment to a tight-knit coalition, 
except Somohardjo, who passionately bragged of PL's 
increasing popularity and how his party would eventually win 
just as many seats as the NPS and VHP. He mentioned the 
coalition only as an afterthought. 
 
LEONARD