Suriname government faces criticism over governance and nepotism claims

Critics of the Surinamese government, led by President Jennifer Simons, argue that promised fundamental changes to the country's administrative system have failed to materialize. Economist Winston Ramautarsing, former chairman of the Association of Economists in Suriname, claims the current administration is merely continuing old governance structures under new names. He specifically notes that presidential commissions have been rebranded as 'working groups' or 'platforms,' which continues to centralize policy control within the President's Cabinet and undermines the responsibility of individual ministries, such as Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV) and Transport, Communication and Tourism (TCT).

Additionally, PALU Vice-Chairman Henk Ramnandanlal has accused the administration of maintaining 'friends and family' policies. He cited the training institute owned by First Gentleman Glenn Geerlings, alleging that civil servants from the LVV ministry were enrolled shortly after its establishment. Ramnandanlal argues that political affiliations continue to dictate the distribution of opportunities, noting that experts outside the governing coalition are often overlooked, while existing agricultural academic programs struggle with low enrollment.