In an official announcement published early October 20, the Supervisory Board (Raad van Commissarissen, RvC) of the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS), Suriname’s national telecommunications regulator, confirmed that Wendy Jap-A-Joe is no longer authorized to serve as the agency’s director effective immediately. Her five-year statutory appointment formally concluded on October 19, bringing her tenure to an end by operation of law.
Jap-A-Joe was first appointed to the TAS director role via presidential resolution, taking office on October 20, 2018, for a fixed five-year term aligned with the provisions set out in Suriname’s Telecommunications Facilities Act. Under Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the legislation, all director appointments to the regulator are limited to a single five-year tenure. Led by chair Emanuel Scheek, the RvC confirmed that the expiration of this mandated term automatically ends Jap-A-Joe’s legal authority to act in the director position.
The RvC’s public statement outlines clear restrictions on Jap-A-Joe’s activities going forward. As of October 20, she is no longer permitted to represent TAS officially, sign official documents on the agency’s behalf, authorize payments or contractual work orders, or exercise any other powers associated with the director role. The board has issued a formal warning that any actions taken by or on behalf of Jap-A-Joe after the expiration date, carried out under the claim of her former directorial authority, will not be recognized as authorized by TAS’s governing body. The agency will not accept legal or operational responsibility for any such unapproved actions, unless the competent interim leadership explicitly confirms the act in writing.
Citing Article 4, Paragraph 2 of the Telecommunications Facilities Act, the RvC confirmed that the board itself will assume full interim governing authority over TAS starting October 20, until a permanent new director is appointed. The agency’s public announcement has not provided any details on whether the selection process for a new permanent director has already been initiated, nor has it shared a timeline for when a final appointment decision will be made. Industry observers note that the transition comes as Suriname continues to update its national telecommunications regulatory framework, making a permanent director appointment a key priority for advancing digital infrastructure and sector governance in the coming months.