NPS parliamentarian Poetini Atompai believes that his party and the government must show clearly more results in the second year of government. According to him, after a first year in which not everything went satisfactorily, the emphasis must now shift from talking to actual implementation.
Atompai made those statements in connection with the 80th anniversary of the Nationale Partij Suriname (NPS). According to him, the anniversary should not only be a moment to look back on the party’s history, but above all to reflect on what needs to improve in the coming years.
“We must now do better than what we have done over the past eighty years,” Atompai said. According to him, both party members and society will ultimately judge the NPS on the results achieved.
He called on the party to strengthen mutual cooperation and avoid internal divisions as much as possible. According to him, the message within the NPS should be that the party continues to work as one family and focuses more strongly on results.
More attention to incomes
Atompai also addressed the socioeconomic situation and the position of civil servants. He pointed out that low incomes, salary improvements and increasing production in Suriname have been discussed for some time.
According to him, the improvement introduced for certain groups, including nurses, must ultimately be extended more broadly to other civil servants.
“Not that the funds people will now receive will be enough, but it will at least be enough to bring the water from here to here,” Atompai said. With this, he indicated that the measures may bring some relief, but according to him do not yet constitute a definitive solution. He expects the course set by President Jennifer Simons to be continued.
‘Not satisfied with first year’
Atompai made it clear that he is not satisfied with everything achieved in the first year of government. According to him, this means that harder work must be done in the second year and more concrete results must be visible.
“We are not satisfied with the past year. That is why we will now work harder so that at the end of year two we can at least give ourselves a better grade than we had in year one.” The NPS parliamentarian stressed that after elections, a government should primarily be judged on the implementation of its policies.
“We must not talk, we must act. You talk during the campaign period. Then you hear: this will be done, that will be done. Once you have power, you must no longer talk. Then you must act.” According to Atompai, that is the main task for the second year of government: “In year two we must do more than in year one. That’s it.”
