EXCLUSIVE: Minister Bouva Irritated Following Our Report on Tigri Border Dispute: "I Am Becoming a Bit Wayward About It"

 

"Bouva during the elections / letter: NDP files a formal complaint with CARICOM regarding the unlawful actions being committed by Guyana on Surinamese territory, the so-called Tigri area."

PARAMARIBO / NEW YORK — Following the recent publication of our revealing report on Surinamese territorial rights and the controversial endorsement of Guyanese UN candidate Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business, and International Cooperation (BIS), Melvin Bouva, has reacted in a highly remarkable manner.

During a live radio interview on Monday, September 28, 2026, with ABC Actueel, the foreign minister lost his composure when directly confronted with burning questions from the Surinaamse public regarding the Guyana-occupied Tigri area. Instead of resolutely defending Surinamese sovereignty, Bouva visibly dismissed national concerns with irritation, stating literally that he is becoming a bit "wayward" about all the uproar surrounding this lingering border dispute.

The journalist refused to let the minister off the hook, emphasizing that the Surinamese society has a right to a clear stance, especially since Rodrigues-Birkett systematically opposed Suriname's territorial claims during her tenure as Guyana's foreign minister. This line of questioning further irritated Bouva, who brushed off the entire border conflict as a simple historical dispute inherited from former colonizers.

"Tigri is an inheritance we received from England and, on this side, from the Netherlands," Bouva stated.

He argued that the disagreement has been ongoing for forty years and that Suriname must move forward to "engage in functional matters with each other again." With these statements, the minister left the distinct impression that he is subordinating the sovereignty of the Tigri area to his own political ambitions in New York, where he is currently capitalizing on his role as COFCOR chair within CARICOM. Bouva further explained that Suriname is making a conscious choice to unconditionally support this specific candidate, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. .

The Election Flip-Flop: NDP's Forgotten Urgency

It is deeply concerning that a state minister reacts this way toward citizens, considering that the political parties themselves spent years instilling this exact nationalistic sentiment in the population. This casual reaction immediately raises a critical question within Surinamese society: what happened to the fiery patriotism that Melvin Bouva and the National Democratic Party (NDP) once so loudly preached?

When Bouva sat in the opposition benches as a young and ambitious Member of Parliament, and during the years when the late party chairman Desi Bouterse was at the helm, the NDP consistently used the Tigri issue as a political crowbar. Back then, any administration that yielded even a millimeter to Guyana was immediately branded 'a-national' and accused of outright treason against the Surinaamese people. For years, the citizenry watched the border issue serve as a political football, manipulated to whip up patriotism and secure votes. 

• "Klik hier om het volledige document / brief van NDP naar Caricom te downloaden (PDF)". (👈"Click here to download the complete document / letter from NDP to CARICOM PDF")

On February 17, 2025, just over a year ago and well ahead of the May 2025 general elections, the NDP held a completely different stance on this border issue. At that time, the National Democratic Party (NDP) passionately filed a formal complaint with CARICOM regarding the unlawful actions being committed by Guyana on Surinamese territory in the Tigri area. The party strongly emphasized that Guyana had violated the Treaty of Chaguaramas and that firm, just action from CARICOM was urgently required. Because it was treated as a matter of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the NDP took that aggressive international step.

Now that the political roles have reversed, the NDP holds power, and President Jennifer Simons is preparing for the prominent CARICOM chairmanship, that fierce love for Surinamese soil seems to have quietly evaporated. Analysts and citizens observe that Minister Bouva is now primarily focused on safeguarding his own international standing and regional interests within CARICOM.

The unconditional support for the Guyanese diplomat is being framed in New York as a 'regional pact' for global leverage. In reality, it means Suriname is quietly sacrificing its own border rights and its claim to the occupied Surinaamse territory in exchange for diplomatic appointments and personal public relations successes on the world stage.

The question remains: who is acting 'a-nationally' now?

• "Klik hier om het volledige document / brief van NDP naar Caricom te downloaden (PDF)". (👈"Click here to download the complete document / letter from NDP to CARICOM PDF")

page 2 and 3 with the signing of the chairlady Jennifer Simons, now president of Suriname off the letter to CARICOM from the NDP

• "Klik hier om het volledige document / brief van NDP naar Caricom te downloaden (PDF)". (👈"Click here to download the complete document / letter from NDP to CARICOM PDF")