Ramsewak Shankar (born 6 November 1937) is a

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

se politician who was the 4th

President of Suriname The president of the Republic of Suriname ( nl, President van de Republiek Suriname) is, in accordance with the Constitution of 1987, the head of state and head of government of Suriname, and commander-in-chief of the Suriname National Army ( ...

, serving from 1988 to 1990. His government was overthrown by

Dési Bouterse Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse (; born 13 October 1945) is a Surinamese military officer, politician, convicted murderer and drug trafficker who served as President of Suriname from 2010 to 2020. From 1980 to 1987, he was Suriname's ''de facto ...

leading a bloodless

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. Shankar had previously served as Agriculture & Fisheries Minister from 1969 to 1971. Shankar is a member of the large ethnic South Asian community in Suriname. He had studied at

Wageningen University Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...

in the Netherlands. After his return to Suriname, he became active in the Progressive Reform Party. He supported independence in 1975.

Career

Shankar was elected as president by the National Assembly after a parliamentary election was held in November 1987. The ruling military regime had led the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

to adopt a new constitution, which permitted coup leader

to remain as head of the army. Ramsewak Shankar was a former agriculture minister and succeeded Ramdat Misier as the President of Suriname. The Shankar government initially gained the full support of the

. In 1989 the Treaty of Kourou, a ceasefire agreement between the Jungle Commando and the Surinamese army, was signed. Shankar agreed to pardon the

Maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are vari ...

s who had been waging the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

against the military in an effort to preserve their autonomy within their traditional territory in the

rain forest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

. He discussed the possibility of their members keeping their arms in the interior. In April 1989, a general amnesty was passed for violence committed during the civil war, but not for human rights violations which had mainly been committed by the National Army.

and the National Democratic Party opposed the agreement, calling it a violation of the constitution. Nevertheless, the

approved the Kourou Agreement with a large majority. In December 1990 both Bouterse and Shankar were on an international trip, and made a stop over in

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the provinc ...

. Bouterse was not allowed to leave the security area by the Dutch military police while Shankar could pass, and received full access to the gathered press. On 21 December, Bouterse attacked Shankar on his return in Suriname for failing to protest. The next day, Bouterse resigned from the Army. On 24 December a

known as the "telephone coup" ousted President Shankar, and Ivan Graanoogst was appointed as Acting President. On 29 December,

Johan Kraag Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...

was chosen by the National Assembly as President of Suriname. On 30 December, Kraag asked Bouterse to return, who became Commander of the Army on 1 January 1991.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Ramsewak 1937 births Living people Presidents of Suriname Surinamese people of Indian descent Surinamese Hindus Surinamese politicians of Indian descent Wageningen University and Research alumni Agronomists Progressive Reform Party (Suriname) politicians Leaders ousted by a coup People from Commewijne District

Career

See also

References

Bibliography