Text and image Jason Pinas
PARAMARIBO — With his election as chairman of the political party Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), Edwin Noordzee (64) sees a long-cherished wish come true. He must once again lead the organization to the success the party has known in the past.
The chairman, who was elected on Saturday through several nominations, states that transparency of all processes and participation of members form the compass. “I am open to working with everyone. I call on all BEP members who were away for whatever reason to come back home,” he told the True Time.
“Today we can no longer run BEP as a maroon party. We must also give other groups the space to profile themselves”
Course
Noordzee joined the party as a young man in 1979 and has since established himself within BEP. He knows the party well and therefore sees himself as a good candidate to hold sway. Although he does not want to praise himself, Noordzee thinks that the term ‘accessible leader’ suits him best.
The chairman promises to respect the wishes of the members at all times. “We now have to completely stabilize the party,” he says about the course he wants to take. Noordzee aims to strengthen the internal organization, financial policy and certain articles in the articles of association that need to be revised.
The chairman wants to develop a good contribution policy in the short term to strengthen the financial position of the organization. As the new leader, he will also be committed to training his members, especially in the areas of personal leadership and management. Furthermore, everyone must be given the opportunity to help determine the direction of BEP.
One of his priorities is the desire of the members “to involve everyone in all processes, so that we can reach greater heights”. He assures that young people will have a special role in the trajectory he will set out. “They are our future and will be given every opportunity to help strengthen the party.”
Open up the party further
Noordzee wants to open up the party even more than is already the case. “I am a nationalist and there are so many population groups in the country. Today we can no longer run BEP as a maroon party. We must also give other groups the space to profile themselves, so that we can work together on the development of the country.”
North Sea does not even rule out cooperation with Abop, but the members must speak out about this. “They decide. I am only a process supervisor and executor of their will. So if that is what they want, we will do it. I am only the chairman.”
He acknowledges that the party has become less popular and as a result has fallen from four parliamentary seats in 2005 to just one seat now. That is why Noordzee wants to quickly enter the country to tell voters the good message of his party. “Our message is that we are there for the underprivileged and that everyone within our organization has the opportunity to grow. Every Surinamese, regardless of where they are in the country, must be given equal opportunities.”
