Transparency, robust policies will ensure a good life for citizens, not oil money – Suriname President

Aug 10, 2020 News

It is not the oil revenues reaped by a government that will ensure a life of prosperity for a country’s citizen, but rather, robust policies buttressed by transparency that will guarantee that life. This is the perspective and advice shared by the recently sworn in President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi

Following a joint-engagement with President Irfaan Ali at State House yesterday, President Santokhi told Kaieteur News in a side interview about the oil discovered offshore Suriname and the US$50 billion that his country is set to harvest in the upcoming 20 years. The oil wealth that the Dutch-speaking nation is poised to collect is thanks to a 20 percent share, which it is entitled to via the deal it struck with the oil companies operating in its waters.
President Santokhi, was keen to highlight, however, that the megabucks his country will receive from oil proceeds is not all that characterizes the vision he holds for his country. The Surinamese President emphatically said, “It is not the amount of money which will bring prosperity in the nation and which will bring the people a better life. It is the policy. It is good leadership. It is the transparency, and it is to bring policy and strong mechanisms…All the income should go for sustainable development, in a funding for the next generation.”
In addition to the foregoing, the Head of State said that the oil money should be used for developing other sectors like agriculture, security, education, health and infrastructure.
The President also expressed hope that both Guyana and Suriname can get the most for their oil resources, since he firmly believes that, “The oil, the gas and all the natural resources, belong to the people of the nation, and the people should benefit from it.”