{"id":201898,"date":"2026-11-10T06:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T09:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/?p=201898&preview=true&preview_id=201898"},"modified":"2026-11-10T06:28:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T09:28:23","slug":"ramsukul-warns-of-international-blacklist-and-blames-government-for-inadequate-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/ramsukul-warns-of-international-blacklist-and-blames-government-for-inadequate-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramsukul warns of international blacklist and blames government for inadequate planning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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VHP parliamentarian Kishan Ramsukul is seriously concerned about the slow pace at which De Nationale Assembl\u00e9e (DNA, Suriname’s parliament) is handling important bills. According to him, Suriname risks running into problems during the international assessment of its approach to money laundering and terrorist financing if the necessary laws are not passed in time. He also criticises the approach to crime, the deportation of the Mennonites and administrative affairs at the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS).<\/div>\n
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Ramsukul states that around seventeen bills, mainly in the financial and fiscal fields, must be completed before mid-January 2027. The parliamentarian fears that this deadline will not be met because, according to him, the government and parliamentary leadership are not working with sufficient speed and accuracy. According to Ramsukul, the recommendations for the necessary legislative amendments had been known for quite some time. Nevertheless, he says preparations and deliberations began too late.<\/p>\n

He points out that it was agreed in October to convene on Fridays in addition to the regular meeting days. According to him, this agreement is not being sufficiently observed. \u201cWe have not met on two Fridays already,\u201d Ramsukul said. He believes the planning of parliamentary work falls short, while the available time is becoming increasingly limited.<\/p>\n

Errors in bills delay deliberations<\/h3>\n

The VHP parliamentarian also criticises the quality of bills submitted by the government. As an example, he cites the handling of the Wet Bijzondere Opsporingsbevoegdheden (BOB). During the second round of deliberations, he reportedly raised another six to seven shortcomings, including incorrect references to legal provisions. According to Ramsukul, these errors should already have been corrected during preparation or after the first round of deliberations.<\/p>\n

He believes ministers make insufficient use of the time and opportunity provided by parliament to improve bills. As a result, parliamentarians must repeatedly point out the same errors, he says. The deliberations are further complicated because amendments must comply with international requirements and must be checked again by the relevant bodies.<\/p>\n

Ramsukul stresses that the VHP is prepared to cooperate fully in handling the necessary legislation. According to him, faction members attend committee meetings and contribute to the legislative process.<\/p>\n

Risk of greylisting and blacklisting<\/h3>\n

The parliamentarian fears that, if progress is insufficient, Suriname once again risks international measures due to shortcomings in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. He warns of being placed on the international grey list and even mentions the possibility of blacklisting. \u201cNobody wants that for Suriname,\u201d Ramsukul stresses.<\/p>\n

Placement on such lists can have serious consequences for international payment transactions, the financial sector and economic relations with other countries. The warning comes ahead of the international Anti-Money Laundering evaluation in 2027. Key News previously reported that the AML Task Force had informed parliament<\/a> about the need to have the required legislative amendments available by 15 January 2027 at the latest.<\/p>\n

Ramsukul stresses that not only speed, but also due care is necessary. According to him, hastily passing flawed laws can also cause problems.<\/p>\n

Crime requires visible police presence<\/h3>\n

In addition to the legislative process, Ramsukul is concerned about the growing sense of insecurity in society. According to him, citizens are confronted almost daily with reports of armed robberies and other serious violent crimes. He therefore advocates stricter enforcement and greater police visibility on the streets.<\/p>\n

Ramsukul believes the police must be managed better. He doubts whether the lack of financial resources, which he says is regularly cited, is an adequate explanation for the absence of visible improvements.<\/p>\n

His criticism comes at a time when Suriname has once again been shaken by serious violence. On Friday, 6 November, a man was shot dead during an armed robbery on Wilhelminastraat<\/a>. A day later, a 22-year-old man died in a shooting incident on Jozef Isra\u00eblstraat<\/a>. Police have since arrested a suspect in both cases.<\/p>\n

Criticism of Mennonite deportation: ‘There is a double standard’<\/h3>\n

Ramsukul also questions the government’s priorities in enforcing laws and regulations. In doing so, he refers to the recent deportation of a group of Mennonites who had settled in the interior. He stresses that he is not fundamentally opposed to the deportation of foreigners without valid residence documents. However, he wonders why action was taken so swiftly against this group, while other serious problems receive less attention, according to him.<\/p>\n

The parliamentarian points in particular to the environmental damage caused by gold mining in the interior for years. According to him, the government must also act consistently there when laws are violated and the environment is harmed. \u201cThere is a double standard,\u201d Ramsukul states.<\/p>\n

He believes that the Mennonites, despite possible violations of immigration and environmental legislation, should not be assessed in the same way as persons who commit violent crimes. He also wants clarity about the costs of the deportation operation, including the charter flight on which a large part of the group left Suriname.<\/p>\n

Minister Harish Monorath previously announced<\/a> that the government had spent approximately SRD 1 million on transport costs. This does not yet provide a full overview of all costs of the operation.<\/p>\n

TAS affair should prompt broader investigation<\/h3>\n

Regarding the administrative problems at the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS), Ramsukul believes the government must draw lessons from the legal proceedings involving former director Wendy Jap-A-Joe. According to him, it should be investigated whether employment agreements were also concluded at other parastatal institutions without the legally prescribed procedures being properly followed.<\/p>\n

The parliamentarian wonders how many similar agreements exist, what financial obligations arise from them and whether the officials involved were authorised to sign these documents. He points to the difference between transparency regarding parliamentarians’ salaries and the limited public information on the employment conditions of administrators at parastatal institutions. Ramsukul believes DNA should be able to access relevant documents in order to properly carry out its oversight task.<\/p>\n

The matter is taking place against the backdrop of the criminal complaint filed by the TAS Supervisory Board against Jap-A-Joe and former president-commissioner Harish Monorath<\/a>. The complaint concerns the establishment and implementation of an employment agreement from 2021. The allegations have not yet been established in criminal proceedings.<\/p>\n

Ramsukul stresses that a legal conflict should not be the only reason for bringing possible administrative shortcomings to light. According to him, the government must proactively determine whether similar situations exist at other institutions.<\/p>\n

Modernisation of telecommunications sector necessary<\/h3>\n

Finally, Ramsukul advocates modernising legislation for the telecommunications sector. He believes Suriname is lagging behind international technological developments and that existing regulations are insufficiently used to enable innovation and new providers.<\/p>\n

According to him, the telecommunications authority too often hides behind legal restrictions, while existing legislation, in his interpretation, does offer possibilities for admitting new providers. The parliamentarian hopes that the administrative changes at TAS will be used to further develop the sector.<\/p>\n

He warns that political appointments must not hinder the necessary reforms. Ramsukul calls on the government and parliamentary leadership to plan better, work more carefully and pay greater attention to issues that have direct consequences for Suriname’s security, legal certainty and economic future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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VHP parliamentarian Kishan Ramsukul warns Suriname risks international blacklisting due to delayed anti-money laundering laws and criticizes government inefficiency amid rising crime and administrative issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":201930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"no","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_29234516172805655_1445375691985227":"","facebook_29234516172805655_1158244960706604":"","facebook_29234516172805655_108923581283702":"","facebook_29234516172805655_1309923202201307":"","facebook_29234516172805655_1093738170500407":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[{"account":"facebook_29234516172805655_1309923202201307","service":"facebook","timestamp":1794302919,"status":"success"}],"rop_publish_now_status":"done","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16390],"tags":[18383],"class_list":["post-201898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-the-national-assembly"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/kishan-ramsukul.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201898"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202015,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201898\/revisions\/202015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}