A sprout grows in Suriname
A daily dose of democracy

by Andrés Alsina

Rome.- Maggie Schmeitz is so tall that inevitably men look up to her. What she would like is for men to be up to her level; she works with great idealism and little naivete to achieve true equality between men and women.

It is not easy really to want to be democratic in Suriname, or perhaps anywhere else, as this implies knowing the inequalities and struggling against them, not only on a political level, but also within the complications of daily life.

It seems as if she had prepared all her life for this constant war, which she handles with grace. It would even seem to be one of those rare cases in which her cultural anthropology degree seems to be the right one to do what she is doing in the way she is doing it. She does not say so in so many words, but her task is essentially to struggle against the strong remains of a colonial mentality in her country of choice and to struggle to enable her country – in addition to gaining its formal independence from Holland in 1975, as well as its own flag and national anthem - to become a nation. Her image of the relationship between Holland and Suriname is that the old colonial master lets things go, always aware of what is happening, and if things turn out badly, grumbles: “You see, you see, I told you so…”.

It is not clear exactly when she defined her approach to the problem. In 1991, she went to do her thesis in Suriname. Something must have begun to germinate in her, because in 1994 she simply went to live in the former Dutch colony. It took her a while longer to reach the conclusions that now guide her work with conviction. She joined a non-governmental organization, where, in spite of holding an important post, she was unable to avoid that the model of patronage that she points out in society was repaeted. She describes it in this way: if you are at the top of society you can do anything, if you are at the bottom you just have to accept and, worse still, those who are trampled on lick the boots of those who trample on them.

In a country with a president and 16 ministries for a population of under 450,000 inhabitants, with the public service as the main source of employment and half the country covered with Amazon rain forest, ordinary citizens do not even bother to complain if they are involved in an accident with the car of a senior official, because, without a doubt, the matter will be buried by a single phone call.

However, if it were Maggie Schmeitz to have an accident or to be run over, the situation would be very different; but that is why some people deny that she is Surinamese. However, just as anthropology teaches, you truly are a member of a society when you understand its jokes. And she does understand, and not only the jokes.

For example, she understands that the prevailing cultural model is that those who stand out from the rest because of their knowledge, in an organization have a natural tendency to use this as an advantage; to lead the rest in their ignorance along routes which have not been agreed, or which are even in violation of the mission of that same organization. Whoever masters the art of communication can take over discussions and use the work of others to their own advantage. She believes that the usual justification used by leaders for going beyond their mandate is “I know what is good for you.”

“With this model of behavior relating to power within the organization itself, even if it is based on good intentions, you kill what you are trying to do. And this generates a resistance to taking a critical look both at the organization and at oneself. Thus you come to the conclusion that you may be complaining about the government because of what it does or what it doesn’t do, or the attitude it has; but if we, if this organization, were to have the same power, there would not be much difference, since we demonstrate the same kind of behavior and values in respect of our environment”.

“It is well known that what a person with a university degree understands of politics is not at all the same as what those without a degree can understand. Therefore, in my view, if you want to help other people to have a political awareness, you have to know how to translate what is going on. Otherwise, politics are something for the higher classes and, as we always say, even if you don’t want to have anything to do with politics, politics will have something to do with you. “

For this reason, in the organization she set up, Ultimate Purpose, the accent is on training in communication and in knowing how to manage an organization or program in a way that will really democratize relationships; in making people aware of the importance of public relations, and ultimately in learning that success does not only lie in what is achieved, but in how people relate to each other to achieve it.

This training consists of concrete elements such as basic accounting, how to write minutes, and how to chair a meeting. They use role playing to train, for example, showing how to chair a meeting in a dictatorial way, in which people are dragged into voting for something which is not clear, has been insufficiently discussed, or is misleading. It is quick and efficient and always provokes a conflict: either the group will hold one person responsible for the poor results, or only one person will take all the credit for the good results. In both cases, going against the initial agreement that led this group to establish an organization. On the other hand, in the democratic model of meetings, respect for people is essential, so that they express their points of view, these are taken into account, and the entire group reflects on the matters which they decided needed considering and finally a vote is taken. “The result must be that everyone shares the decision and its implications. Respect for people makes the capacity of the organization greater”, promises Maggie Schmeitz.

The lesson to be learned is “that what is important when attempting to promote democracy is not only the end but also the means. This is to be found in the course on conflict solving, management, community development or anything else: what is important is that the course is given from a democratic and equitable point of view.”

The problem starts with education itself, which, in her opinion, is the single most important stumbling block in this country attempting to become a nation. Today’s teaching method is an imperative one, and the model is to learn by heart. “This establishes ‘yes’ as the basis of an unfailing reply to the powers that be, if one wants to get on in life. And whoever does not accept it is thrown out of class. In the end, the only thing learned is obedience.”

This is possible in a certain scenario of social values. “Because sometimes, in Suriname... well, not sometimes. This is logical. It is an apathy that comes from resignation. When you are born, no matter what you do, you are born with your predetermined destiny and the situation will not change. There are people with rights and others with fewer rights. If this is repeated often enough, even those who say it will believe it.” Faced with these difficulties, as big as mountains, it may be difficult to find a way to see some change in the situation. But after six years’ work, she finds it. She says that in this small society, returns are daily. “Every time I train people, I learn something and find a richer perspective.”

During those training sessions, sometimes she encounters frightening situations; “I insist on asking people’s opinion and they resist giving it to me, hoping I will give my own in order to be in agreement with it.” But with time, results do come, such as seeing how people who were in the training sessions courageously claim their rights from those who are leading a discussion: ‘You did not give me time to express myself. You were not democratic.’ And then everything is worthwhile.

In this limited society, relations are fluid with other NGOs. She often coordinates activities with two of them and provides advice to others. If she is lucky, she will do this on issues that are part of the work of Ultimate Purpose: promotion of democracy, gender equality and development, not only in Suriname, which is in South America, but in the whole of the Caribbean.

She also has a fluid relationship with three of the 16 ministries. This is not a bad average and results in advisory services and discussion, hopefully leading to changes of focus in government actions. She considers that half the work done over the past year was a product of government needs which led to contracts with the world of NGOs.

When she finally decided to accept Social Watch’s invitation in 1999 and prepare the annual monitoring report on government social policy commitments adopted in 1995, she saw that this strengthened Ultimate Purpose’s negotiating position with the government. “We are no longer the same whining women with this song of equal rights.” In December that year, civil society showed their power at the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle, in which the countries of the South, mainly Africa and the Caribbean, led negotiations on the essential transparency of processes, coinciding with the position of the NGOs. “That was very impressive. Then came the World Bank meeting (in April 2000 in Prague) and again civil society was there to make a stand. I see this and I see the small steps we take in Suriname, and then I think that there is no reason for me to become discouraged or to ask myself if I am crazy not to seek work as a consultant here in Rome. Because power can be used in another way, can’t it?”