ABOP chairman Ronnie Brunswijk believes that Minister of Justice and Security Harish Monorath is being wrongly accused. Nevertheless, his party will respect President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons’ decision regarding the minister’s departure. After a meeting with Monorath on Thursday, November 12, 2026, the president stated that the situation surrounding the minister had become untenable and that he would submit his resignation. However, Brunswijk stressed that he does not personally consider the situation untenable.
According to the president, ongoing developments and daily media coverage have created a situation in which Monorath can no longer continue to function as minister. During the meeting, the minister indicated that he was prepared to step down from his post.
Brunswijk, who has explicitly defended Monorath in recent days, said afterwards that he could not agree with the president’s assessment.
“For me, it is not untenable. But she is the president. She appoints and dismisses. And we will respect that,” the ABOP chairman stated.
ABOP deliberates on minister’s departure
Brunswijk announced that he would still hold consultations on Thursday with the parliamentary group and the leadership of his party. The political situation that has arisen and ABOP’s next steps will be discussed.
According to him, the party will issue an official statement as soon as possible, possibly later in the afternoon.
The ABOP chairman stressed that he personally remains of the view that the accusations against Monorath are unjustified. He announced that he would elaborate on the events and the background to the matter during an extensive press briefing.
Monorath: ‘The government must move on’
Monorath himself responded resignedly to the developments. According to the minister, he has carried out a great deal of work during his term in office and important work has been performed at the ministry.
“I have done considerable work at the ministry. We have done good work. We have done many things,” Monorath said.
The minister made clear that he places the importance of continuing government policy first.
“But if the situation is untenable, the government must move on. Everyone must move on. We must move on too. We must do what we have to do.”
When asked about his political future, Monorath indicated that he must also discuss the matter with his party chairman.
Ministerial portfolio remains with ABOP
Brunswijk further confirmed that the Justice and Security portfolio has been allocated to ABOP within the coalition. According to him, Monorath’s departure therefore does not automatically mean that his party will lose this ministerial post.
It is not yet clear who may succeed Monorath. According to Brunswijk, the party has not yet reached the point where concrete announcements can be made on this.
Possible consequences for coalition
When asked whether Monorath’s departure could have consequences for cooperation within the governing coalition, Brunswijk remained noncommittal.
He stressed that he does not decide alone on ABOP’s political course and that consultations must take place within the party on the matter.
Brunswijk also referred to previous political statements and accusations between representatives of different parties. According to him, the situation must be prevented from escalating further through unwise public statements.
The ABOP chairman said that common sense must prevail and that the party leadership will jointly formulate a position.
TAS affair prompts political pressure
Monorath’s position came under pressure due to developments surrounding the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS, Suriname Telecommunications Authority). The minister was previously chairman of the supervisory board of this body.
The matter concerns, among other things, a controversial employment agreement with former TAS director Wendy Jap-A-Joe. The current supervisory board has filed a criminal complaint against Monorath and Jap-A-Joe over the matter.
In recent days, Brunswijk has argued that Monorath acted at the time on the basis of official instructions and decisions. According to him, documents supporting this were submitted during talks with the president.
Whether these documents provide sufficient legal grounds for the disputed actions has not been established.
During the coalition summit on Wednesday, November 11, it emerged that the governing parties were divided over Monorath’s political fate. Ultimately, President Simons indicated that the situation that had arisen was no longer tenable.
The formal dismissal and the appointment of a successor have yet to be confirmed.
