Central Bank without governor: Opposition wants emergency meeting

The members of the opposition on Wednesday asked parliament to hold an emergency session in response to the departure of Glenn Gersie as head of the Central Bank of Suriname. The opposition fears that the government wants to politicize this top position in order to gain access to the treasury. Members of the coalition chose to refrain from commenting on the latest developments at the Central Bank of Suriname.

The opposition made it clear to the government that this issue must be discussed. The members of the opposition emphasized the fact that Gersie was doing a fine job and they also applauded his efforts to stabilize the Surinamese dollar and increase the import cover to five months.

The General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) and the National Party Suriname (NPS) held an emergency meeting on Tuesday night after they received word that the top position at the Central Bank had become vacant. The ABOP and the NPS issued a joint statement to underscore the possibility that the government wants to open the money faucet in order to finance its consumptive costs. They made it clear that the consequences of such a move could be disastrous.

The chairman of DOE, Steven Alfaisi , who was shocked to hear that Gersie had been given the boot had hoped that the rumors that were circulating last week were based on lies especially given the fact that Gersie was achieving visible results. “The government denied the rumors in parliament. Now that Mister Gersie has been fired, I can only conclude that the government told lies in parliament. I am at a loss for words. The government is throwing its credibility overboard,” said Alfaisi.

The Progressive Reform Party (VHP) is convinced that Gersie’s dismissal is part of the government’s plan to win the general elections of May 2020 by spending money recklessly on visible projects and gain favor among the voters. The VHP alleged that “it is clear that the government wants to make somebody who is willing to give it more money and to approve of monetary financing the new governor of the Central Bank. “The people will once again be the ones to pay the price,” said the VHP.