Former Minister of Transport, Communication, and Tourism (TCT) and also chairperson of the People’s Party for Renewal and Democracy (VVD), Alice Amafo, considers the opening up of the interior through telecommunications services as one of her major achievements. As a young woman, not yet 30 years old at the time, she showed the courage to implement the liberalization of the telecom sector.
According to her, this was no easy task. Although the liberalization was carried out nationwide, her focus was primarily on opening up the interior. In the program De Tafel on Suriname Herald and Rasonic TV, the politician shared that she faced a lot of opposition.
For instance, she was told that communication in the remote interior would be impossible due to various factors. Ultimately, through her perseverance, it turned out that the entire society benefited from it, but especially the residents of the interior, who were able to overcome great distances as a result. She emphasized how poor communication was back then compared to now.
With the opening up of the interior, it is now clear that economic activities are reaping the benefits. Amafo argues that the country could not possibly move forward with the infrastructure that dates back to the time of independence.
This infrastructure was originally set up to facilitate the plantation economy, primarily for the benefit of the Netherlands. Unfortunately, according to her, this is still the case, as evidenced by the fact that Suriname is decades behind other countries.
Amafo stresses that a leader is needed who stands up and clearly states that the country must be developed in a different way, with everything in favor of the Surinamese people. According to the VVD chairperson, the leaders since 1975 have brought no visible change in Suriname. Therefore, she advocates for a people’s politics in which everyone is involved in the development of the country.
