PARAMARIBO – Less than a year after Joyce Williams was elected as the new chairwoman of the Surinamese Labor Party (SPA) she has decided to call it quit.
Williams is reportedly stepping down as chairwoman due to the growing tensions within the SPA regarding the political course prior to the elections and the difficult collaboration with the NPS and DRS. The internal division reportedly could not be fixed. “I prefer to make room for somebody else now instead of filling this position too long,” said Williams who will remain a member of the SPA after having realized that she is not the right person to lead the party. The collaboration with other parties on the list of OPTSU did not go smoothly.
Williams was supposed to be put on top of the list of candidates of OPTSU but evidently missed the opportunity. There is a growing dissatisfaction within the SPA regarding the political influence of the SPA within the new political bloc. It will be up to the successor of Williams to keep the SPA afloat. The SPA which was founded on July 1st, 1987 by the late Fred Derby was once known as the voice of the laborers,women and children. The departure of Williams signals the start of another difficult phase.
