–“The Surinamese government has handed over the initiative, the people of Suriname must save themselves”. With these words begins the PALU’s New Year’s message, in which chairman Jim Hok wishes the entire Surinamese community a lot of strength in the year 2022 that is now ahead of us.
“It will be up to us what we make of it, because we can expect little support from the government. This is not to displease the government. But the government led by President Chan Santokhi has relinquished control of its own policy when it decided to go after the IMF. That’s how it works. In order to continue to receive the IMF money, the government will have to implement the policies the way the IMF wants. And that is why it is no longer the government that rules, but the IMF.
It is therefore best not to expect a supportive policy from the government side. The PALU will therefore come up with activities and initiatives in the very short term to help society find its way, according to the chairman. The government pays too little attention to its own options and possibilities to strengthen the Surinamese people. And that has to change,” Hok says in a press release and continues:
“We are gradually familiar with the IMF’s recipe. The previous government led by then President Desi Bouterse also wanted us to believe that the IMF had become more social. When the IMF started pushing through its demands, they didn’t know how quickly they had to get out of there.
We Surinamese will have to develop more initiatives ourselves to get by in 2020. Chairman Jim Hok therefore calls on everyone not to give in. Don’t surrender yourself and this country, he says. Now more than ever is the time to tackle matters individually and collectively. Then we will still be able to make 2022 a successful year and lay the foundation for the years to come, despite lack of supportive government policies,” PALU chairman Jim Hok said in a short New Year’s message.
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