PARAMARIBO – The ethnic power struggle has entered a new phase as an internal struggle has erupted within one specific ethnic group namely the Javanese. A new contender has entered the political arena to become the new leader of the Javanese community in Suriname. “I have come to work for all Javanese people,” said   Soeparmin Djojobesari who is a former member of the board at the National Democratic Party (NDP). Djojobesari is the chairman of the newest political party in Suriname namely the Democrats of Suriname  (DvS). At the proclamation of the DvS it became clear that Djojobesari wants to speak for the Javanese community in particular but that he will also work for the other ethnic groups.

 Djojobesari claimed that the Petjajah Luhur (PL) that is chaired by Paul Somohardjo has done nothing for the Javanese community in Suriname. “Only shame,” said Djojobesari who also criticized Bronto Somohardjo, the son of the chairman of the PL. Djojobesari exited the NDP with several other people and decided to join the ABOP which is currently part of the ruling coalition. The chairman of the ABOP, Ronnie Brunswijk, indicated that the DvS can count on the full support of ABOP. This new political alliance has, however, created more tensions between ABOP and the PL. …[+]

HAVANA  –  Cuba’s government has announced it will halt all non-vital state services and businesses for three days as it battles an energy crisis that has caused marathon blackouts for much of the country.

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero outlined the measures in an address Thursday night, saying the government had no choice but to “paralyse the economy.”

This includes shuttering all cultural activities and recreation centres such as discos, as well as public schools until Monday, Cuba’s state-run electricity union said in a release.

After initially announcing staggered geographical outages, the government declared a complete breakdown of the National Electric Power System shortly after 11am (15:00 GMT) on Friday morning, declaring it had been “totally disconnected.”

It added that the state electricity company “is working on its reestablishment.”

Marrero blamed the energy shortfall on a perfect storm well-known to most Cubans – deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and rising demand.

“The fuel shortage is the biggest factor,” Marrero said in the televised address, ironically punctuated by technical glitches.

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel pinned the problem on the US’s “financial and energy persecution,” which he said had made it “difficult to import fuel and other resources necessary.”

Facing US sanctions, Cuba has long relied on subsidised Venezuelan oil, but that supply is increasingly precarious as Venezuela grapples with its own economic woes. And Venezuela’s allies Russia and China, have failed to send enough aid to fill the gap, despite expressions of political solidarity.

Despite the crippling blackouts and shortages, Cuba “is not yet in a bottomless abyss,” assured Marrero.

Millions of Cubans, long accustomed to frequent outages, have been hit by dramatically longer power blackouts recently, often stretching for 12 hours. Outside the capital, Havana, electricity is most scarce, often unavailable for over 18 hours a day.

Compounding the problem was the passage of Hurricane Milton last week, whose heavy gusts and waves hampered deliveries of fuel from boats offshore to power plants, according to Cuban officials. (Al Jazeera)

Photo: A woman works in a restaurant during a blackout in Havana. (Reuters)

SAMAO  –  The government has said there will not be an apology over Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade when King Charles and Sir Keir Starmer visit the Commonwealth summit in Samoa next week.

A Downing Street spokesperson had already ruled out financial reparations.

Last year, the King spoke of his “greatest sorrow and regret” at the “wrongdoings” of the colonial era on a visit to Kenya, but stopped short of an apology, which would have depended on the agreement of ministers.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, to be held in Samoa on 25 and 26 October, will bring together the leaders of 56 countries.

But even if the issue of historic links to slavery is raised at the summit, the UK government has told the BBC there are no plans for a symbolic apology.

Instead the focus will be on current issues, a government spokesperson said, such as “shared challenges and opportunities faced by the Commonwealth, including driving growth across our economies”.

Speeches from monarchs are made on the advice of ministers. This means the King would be unable to make an apology over the UK’s links to slavery unless he had the approval of the government.

Labour MPs including Bell Ribeiro-Addy had called for the UK government to officially apologise for its participation in the slave trade.

David Lammy, as an MP on the opposition benches in 2018, had said: “As Caribbean people we are not going to forget our history. We don’t just want to hear an apology, we want reparations.”

But with Labour now in power, Downing Street has ruled out an apology over slavery and ended speculation of any statement at the Commonwealth meeting in Samoa, which would have been the first international platform for such an apology to take place.

It means that the policy of not apologising continues from the previous government, when prime minister Rishi Sunak last year rejected the idea and said “trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward”.

Opponents of an apology have pointed to Britain’s prominent role in ending slavery, including legislation in 1807 to abolish the slave trade.

Discussions of formal apologies or reparations could still be raised by other countries, with Caribbean leaders having argued for some financial recognition of the legacy of slavery, with figures of £200bn being quoted. (BBC)

Photo: King Charles. (PA)