Following the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état, Kamperveen was appointed Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports under Minister-president Henk Chin A Sen. Due to disagreements over the political direction of the National Military Council (NMR), he denounced his position and became vocal about his opposition through writing and on live radio on his own ABC station. Kamperveen believed the country should head in a more democratic direction, while Dési Bouterse wanted a military dictatorship.