SOEKTSA BOSKOPU REVISITED

This edition of SOEKTSA BOSKOPU  has more information  about the Republic of Suriname and invites the readers to learn more about one of the greenest countries in the world and the smallest on the Latin American continent.

The National Assembley has picked up the debates about Suriname's new anti corruption law and the Governor of the Surinaamse Bank has stepped up his efforts to de-dollarize the Surinamese economy. Several initiatives were taken last year to raise awareness about climate change and the conscious use of water, electricity and other natural resources. 

Our national telecommunications company Telesur has promised it will incorporate green thinking in its operations in the interior rainforest of Suriname.

The stubborn refusal of some members of the opposition to cooperate and join forces in the political arena to help Suriname solve its economic problems, does not stop the ruling Bouterse/Adhin government to implement fundamental restructuring of government  institutions.  

In the field of  education an attempt to get teachers to strike and consequently disrupt the educational proces more or less failed in 2016. In the police forces  and  at the ministry of finance serious re-evaluation of goals and operations  is monitored by government officials and international experts. 

Suriname was not spared its share of trouble in the  economic field with bauxite and oil prices dropping globally. Even efforts to earn from gold ore initially did not supply the foreign currency needed to keep the economy growing but are fortunately starting to yield results. 

In every country where government loans are accompanied by austerity measures,  low income groups and poor suffer. This also goes for Suriname where the rich are getting richer. 

In reality Suriname is a very rich and green country, rich in natural resources with 80% of its territory covered by rainforest. However, the sharing of wealth and distribution of resources is still not organized  on the basis of equal sharing. In a courageous and conscious effort to boost the national morale and inspire next generation Surinamese, the government and private enterprises have spread their wings into the Caribbean and Latin America  where new forms of cooperation and export opportunities are prospected and developed. Suriname is on the right track in 2017 and seems to have overcome the worst  economic and political crises  on its way to growth after gaining independence in 1975. 

Contrary to mostly European based anti propaganda , the promotion of a positive image of Suriname and development of a growing tourism industry are high on the national agenda.
To improve its services and have a clear view of what tourists need and find in Suriname the National Tourism operators have joined forces with the Statistics bureau to systematically  gather and analyze data which are relevant for the Tourism industry.  More and more regional guests are discovering Suriname as a tourist destination and Dutch, German, Belgian tour operators have continued to serve their customers who not only want sun and sea but also culture and rainforest experiences. Suriname is transforming from a Europe oriented nation to a Caribbean Nation with Latin America ties.
 The biggest change however takes place in the field of diversification efforts on all economic levels. Suriname used to be the producer of sugar, coffee and cocoa at the time of slavery and has to modernize its agriculture and trade endeavors to increase production and exports. SOEKTSABOSKOPU is a platform where the reader can learn bit by bit about Suriname and its development.

Martha Tjoe Nij