“The government is there for all Surinamese. You should not measure with multiple standards,” says BEP chairman Ronnie Asabina fiercely. In conversation with Suriname Herald, Asabina says that he has received signals from angry people from the Tapanahony area that not everyone has received food packages. According to Asabina, only food parcels have been shared in the upper country, more known as ‘Opu-Tapanahony’. The other part ‘Bilo-Tapanahony’ did not get.

He wonders how it is that multiple measures are used. He also believes that the budget should be spent in a fair way. “Even the package that was given in time cannot be compared nanga a package sang a government dis’ e gi.” According to Asabina, the package consists of ten kilograms of rice, a pack of bolts and a bottle of oil.

District commissioner Henk Deel of the Tapanahony district confirms in conversation with Suriname Herald that he has indeed understood that some of the people in the area have not yet been provided with a food package. However, he indicates that he is not aware of the distribution of these packages, because the district commissioner in the Tapanahony district is not in charge of this.

He is also unaware of who is distributing the packages to the rest of the community. Receiving a food parcel in the Tapanahony area is of great value, as many foodstuffs are excessively expensive. SRD 100 or more is soon paid for a bottle of cooking oil. The mayor indicates that this is also a result of the increased petrol prices.

MORE