“Law must not become a paper tiger”

Legislators on Thursday once again discussed and modified the Anti Corruption bill. Several recommendations that had been made by legislators were adopted by the government. The Minister of Justice and Police, Jennifer van Dijk-Silos, made it clear that the Anti Corruption Law will become a paper tiger if it is not supported by additional legislation. Legislators therefore also discussed the WOB bill aimed at transparency of management, the bill aimed at giving parliament the right to instigate an inquiry and the ombuds institute bill. The finishing touch is being put on the WOB bill and will be presented to the Council of Ministers within the next two weeks. Parliament has been tasked with taking steps aimed at formulating, discussing and passing the bill on the right to instigate an inquiry. The chairwoman of Parliament, Jennifer GeerlingsSimons, pointed out that Parliament is on schedule with the supporting legislation. She added that the additional bills could be ready by the end of this year. The independence and reliability of the Corruption Prevention Committee (CPC) that must be established has become a controversial issue because it seems as if nobody in Suriname is capable of running the CPC. Minister Van Dijk-Silos pointed out that officials have opted for the construction of the Independent Voting Bureau (OKB). She ran the OKB before she became the minister of Justice and Police. Just like the OKB, the CPC will be able to function independently without the influence of politics and the government. “It will work. Believe me,” said the minister.