Santokhi: “2016 was dramatic year”

“2016 became a very dramatic year. Every countryman felt heavy financial and social blows,” said Chandrikapersad Santokhi chairman of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP) recently.

“In 2016 we all became poorer except a small group that sits around the meat pots of the president. Billions of American dollars of the people that were earned from crude oil, gold and bauxite were spent on expensive business trips or disappeared as a result of corruption. State companies and hospitals were brought to the brink of financial collapse. Not a single corruption case was investigated. Meanwhile the government made sure to arrange bodyguards, bulletproof cars, drones and expensive equipment for its own security while ordinary people were robbed and assaulted and Chinese storekeepers were killed,” said Santokhi who is also a legislator. MP Santokhi pointed out that a poll from June 2016 indicated that 90% of the people pointed out that their financial and other circumstances were worse than the previous year. Only 2% got a better life. “Our country became one of the worst performing of the world and we became a member of the group of the poorest countries in the region alongside Venezuela, Guyana and Haiti. We have the third highest inflation in the world. The government is in the top 10 of the most corrupt ones in the Americas and our economy is the worst performing economy of Latin America and the Caribbean. So many loans were taken and that is cause for grave concern about the burden that has been placed on the shoulders of future generations. The financial bankruptcy of Suriname became evident with a loan of $30 million in 2016 because the supply of medicines and basic goods would have run dry without that loan. That is the tragic inheritance of the purple government,” said President Santokhi. “The prospects for 2017 are gloomy. The government will have insufficient income to cover its expenses such as salaries in 2017. The government will spent an additional 12% instead of saving money. All of you will have to pay for this because the government has announced that taxes will go up and that new taxes will be introduced. Another SRD 3 billion will be borrowed in 2017. On the other hand the government must pay back SRD 2.2 billion but it does not have the money. The interest rate at the banks will jump to 25%. Our country has become a gang of robbers led by corrupt leaders who enriched themselves and their friends while you became poorer. The government unfortunately does not listen to anybody. It does not listen to Parliament, the FEP, the Association of Economics, companies, unions and the Social Economic Council. We from the VHP will keep working hard in Parliament but that will not be enough. In order to put a stop to the destruction and offer hope once again we, the owners of Suriname, must do something. We will determine if a new hope will arise for our nation,” said Santokhi.