PARAMARIBO, Suriname, July 16, CMC-Suriname’s first female president, Jenny Simons, was sworn in as the country’s first female president, alongside Gregory Rusland, who was inaugurated as vice president.
In the historic ceremony, the two leaders took over from the outgoing administration of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi and Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, who have governed the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state for the past five years.
In her inaugural address delivered during a special public session of Parliament, Simons issued a powerful and unequivocal directive to her new administration: the windfall from Suriname’s emerging oil and gas sector must uplift the entire population, not just a select few.
The incoming government has the task of ensuring that the profits from the oil and gas sector improve the standard of living for every Surinamese.”
She also turned to offshore oil discoveries, stating that major petroleum finds are poised to reshape the national economy.
“We have little time left to prepare for this new phase in our economy,” she warned. “Much must be done, and it can only succeed with the participation of all Surinamers — at home and abroad.”
Simons also made it clear that her administration would not squander this opportunity.
“We are inheriting a country that still faces serious economic challenges,” she acknowledged, “but with good prospects for the future — if we succeed in bridging these first difficult years.”
She also pledged to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued other resource-rich nations, where petroleum wealth has too often benefited a narrow elite.
“There are enough examples around the world of nations where the development of this sector enriched only a few,” Simons said. “That must not be our story.”
The new president also committed to a path of national recovery, institutional reform, and economic diversification. Priorities include restoring public health, strengthening education, investing in youth, and developing sustainable sectors like agriculture and tourism, while reducing the nation’s overreliance on extractive industries such as gold and oil.
“We must now show, through new ways of working, that we are capable of broadening our economic base,” she said.
“Fiscal discipline is necessary, but we must also invest in our people, our children, and in eradicating poverty.”
Simons also emphasised that any increase in state revenue must not come at the expense of working-class citizens. “Raising income for the state without driving the people deeper into poverty is the principle this government will uphold,” she affirmed.
Concerning citizens in the diaspora, the president called on all those in the diaspora to participate in the nation’s renewal.
“The economy is the work of people, for people,” she said. “Only we, the people of Suriname, can ensure a better future — and only if we act in unity.”
While her address steered clear of political point-scoring, its tone was firm and its expectations clear. Simons thanked her supporters but also expressed appreciation for her critics, stating that their opposition had strengthened her. She urged the nation to move beyond electoral divisions and see itself as united in the task ahead.
“Money is important — for families and the nation — but it cannot buy well-being or happiness,” she reflected. “For that, we need people. We need each other.”
Simons also underscored the importance of decentralisation. She said her government will prioritise empowering local institutions and rolling out targeted programmes to prepare Suriname for the coming economic transformation, starting this year.
“I stand here today as your president. I know this task will demand everything I have,” Simons concluded. “But I begin it with the full awareness that the future of Suriname will be shaped — not by me alone — but by all of us, together.”
CMC/su/kb/2025