Rashied Doekhi

Mohammed Rashied Doekhie, also written as Doekhie, is a Surinamese politician and a former district commissioner of Nickerie. Because of his popularity in the western rice district, he is nicknamed the president of Nickerie. He is currently a member of the National Assembly of Suriname, on behalf of the National Democratic Party of Dési Bouterse.

Presidential elections 2000

In 2000, the Millennium Combination of Desi Bouterse unexpectedly nominated Doekhie as a candidate for the presidential elections of July 2000. Doekhie's opponent in the elections was Ronald Venetiaan. Doekhi lost the elections and Venetiaan was, for the second time, chosen as president of Suriname.^[1]

Fight in the parliament

On 13 December 2007, there was a fight in the Surinamese parliament in which Doekhi was involved. It all started after the suspension of a heated discussion about alleged corruption at the ministry of Ground and Forestry. According to Doekhi then chairman of the parliament Paul Somohardjo was also involved and Doekhi accused him of repeatedly enriching himself and his affiliated foundations with pieces of land from the government. "I know of no Somohardjo who has ever been in prison, but you, Doekhie, go inquire how many Doekhis there are in prison", replied Somohardjo shortly before he suspended the debate and walked away from his chair. Glaringly Doekhi rushed towards Somohardjo and an altercation followed between the two. What was said could not be heard, because after suspension the sound in the parliament gets turned off. MP Ronnie Brunswijk, who noticed the altercation, interfered between the two and shortly after this Doekhi pushed Somohardjo. Brunswijk vigorously pushed Doekhi who subsequently ended up with his back on a table. Brunswijk grabbed Doekhi by the ankles and pulled him to the floor. Thereafter both Brunswijk and Somohardjo gave Doekhi some firm kicks. Through intervention of police and other parliamentarians, the fight ended. The fight was aired live on the television and caused international disgrace for the Surinamese parliament and Suriname as country.^[2] Doekhi filed a complaint against Somohardjo en Brunswijk.

Ironically, Doekhi himself was, on several occasions, allotted large areas of land by the government. Altogether, over a thousand acres of state land was allocated to him.^[3]

Wikileaks

According to U.S. Embassy documents published by WikiLeaks, the meeting of Dési Bouterse and Guyanese drug lord Roger Khan was arranged by Doekhi. The cables report that Doekhi introduced Bouterse to Roger Khan on his private land in South Drain, Nickerie. Doekhi replied to the 'disclosures' of Wikileaks by saying that they are all rumors and Doekhi also denied knowing Roger Khan. He said that he knew Roger Khan only from the photographs of him that appeared in the newspapers. The cables also report that Doekhi, Bouterse and Roger Khan plotted to murder then Suriname's minister of Justice Chan Santokhi and Suriname's attorney general Subhaas Punwasi.^[4]

Elections 2010

At the Surinamese parliamentary elections of May 2010 Doekhi had the number one place on the MegaCombinatie (a political alliance chaired by Desi Bouterse) voting's list in Nickerie. At the elections Doekhi was re-elected as member of National Assembly of Suriname.

Trivia

The daughter of Rashied Doekhi, Chantal Doekhi, was shortly after the inauguration of President Bouterse appointed by him as chargé d'affaires of Suriname in the Netherlands. According to the daughter of Doekhi, she was appointed in that function because of her knowledge and experience and not because of the political influence of her father. She said her father reacted very surprised when she told him she would be appointed as chargé d'affaires.^[5]

References