British socialists, and even the whole British nation, should know what is happening in this part of South America which is called Guiana, so thet they can make up thoir minds to take concrete eteps to support the freedom movements in their etruggle for full independence and social reform, : Beleive me, there is need for that. As you know, Surinam or, to call it by its colonial name, Dutch Guiana has been dominated by Dutch colonialism and imperialism for more than 300 years, These two evils still exist in our country and have led to United States! domination of Surinam's economy (this despite the Monroe dectrinel|), Surinam is the main producer of bauxite for the U.S. markot (84% of Surinam's exports consist of bauxite), It is used to produce aluminium in large quantities for U.S, rockets and missiles,
Our problems are, in generel, similar to those of neighbouring British Guiana: we have in common a very mixed population (much more mixed in Surinam), a small population (a little smaller than British Guiana at sone 300, 000) and a poor backward economy. Fut there is this difforence: thet in Surinam the Bast Indians are a minority group and the negroes (creoles) form the majority, Our struggle is now sabotaged by internal reactionaries, egzed on by United States imperialism, who are creating racial troubles, These haven't, so far, taken the same proportion as those in British Guiana, Tho colonialists oppose our slogan of INDEPENDENCE NOW because = and now comes the old, old story — we are a apecisally negro orgenisation because our party prosident , Dr. Sddy Bruma (a lawyer), is a nogro, only wanting to bring Russian Communism to our country, etc., etc. r
In 1954, after some campaigning by our movement = the Nationalist ‘ Movement of Surinan (N.B.5,, our ideological wing) - the Dutch granted home rule to Surinam but excluded us so thet the reactionary forces came to power In 1959 we established a political party, tha Party of the Nationalist Republic (P.N.R.) end we are now operating under very difficult circumstances because of the repressive measures of the bourgeois government of Premier J, Pongel, The principal aims of our party are: (1) Full and immedite trensfor of independence to the Surinem people; (2) Nationalisation of all foweign industries (most United States and Dutch) that are of importance to the country's economy; (3) Socialisetion and reform of the land; (4) Social Justices; and (5) a foreign policy of neutraliem, according to the principles of the Belgrade conference, Also a policy of revolutionary. socialian,
This is why the colonial and bourgeois government is very hostile to Ua and this month took the following steps against our party: (a) a P.N. 2. ropresentative in Holland, after completing his studies has been forbidden to return to his country; and (b) two leading members of the NvB.S., Re Ravales and Th, Uitoerloo, have baen sent to jail, accused of revolutionary activities, Surinam seems now to be South Africall ‘e are now busy in Holland collecting money for tho families of the arrested mon. ‘Vo also have a cadre school in Amsterdam for the toaching of slementary socieliam., -