Parliament gives critical comments

202 foreigners naturalized

Parliament recently naturalized 202 people. The applicants and co-applicants including the children of the applicants were given the green light to receive the Surinamese nationality. But parliament gave several critical comments because most of the people are not students and also do not have a job. Parliament urged the government to be stringent when it screens the people who eye the Surinamese nationality. The nation’s legislators made it clear that the goal is not to add more people to the list of nationals who receive social aid and to the list of nationalists who are unemployed. This time 45 people are being covered by a guarantor. “But the main objective is for the people to earn their own bread and butter or else they can’t apply for naturalization”, said the chairwoman of the committee, MP Grace Watamaleo (NDP). All of the legislators question the contribution that the group of unemployed foreigners who eye the Surinamese nationality can make to Suriname. “A group of Surinamese citizens do not have jobs and on top of that we also have to take care of these people”, said MP Keshopersad GangaramPanday (NDP), who referred to the previous naturalization laws that also included critical comments regarding when it comes to the naturalization of foreigners who are unemployed. MP Chandrikapersad Santokhi (VHP) urged the government to formulate a clear policy aimed at granting naturalization to foreigners who also give back and make a significant contribution to the development of Suriname.