NPS chairman: “I did not ignore decision of Advice Council”

“I did not ignore any choice or decision of the Advice Council. It is just another story that is not based on the facts,” Gregory Rusland, chairman of the National Party Suriname (NPS), told Times of Suriname. The NPS chairman on Tuesday was accused of refusing to accept the decision to let Shanti Venetiaan become the new minister of Education, Science and Culture.

Venetiaan reportedly got the majority of votes for this position from the members of the Advice Council. Rusland who had tested positive for COVID19 and who is still recovering at his home claimed that the party is currently busy nominating candidates for positions within the new government. He explained that this process takes place within the various structures of the party and that the Advice Council is just one of these structures. “We also have the Congress Board, the Main Board, the Youth Council and other structures of the party that must express their opinion,” said the chairman of the green party. Rusland also explained that the bylaws of the party clearly state that the main board must present a proposal to the congress which must then make a decision. “So Rusland has no say in the matter.”