A significant governance dispute has emerged within Suriname’s coalition government regarding the controversial appointment and installation of a new supervisory board at the Foundation for Forest Management and Supervision (SBB). The foundation’s director, Ruben Ravenberg, currently abroad, confirmed to Starnieuws that he has learned about the new board’s formation but questions whether the appointment process followed established statutes. Ravenberg intends to seek clarification from Minister Stanley Soeropawiro of Land Policy and Forest Management upon his return to Suriname.
Minister Soeropawiro formally installed the new board this past Wednesday, with only Robin Brunswijk from the previous administration retaining his position. The newly appointed members include Kaminie Tajib, Leon Boedhoe, Meriam Asodanoe, Fairouz Fredison Brunswijk, and Sayonara Asmo. Both Ravenberg and coalition circles have raised concerns about the apparent deviation from statutory procedures in these appointments. While Ravenberg maintains his dual role as SBB director and board chairman, the origins and nomination process for the new members remain unclear.
Article 6 of the SBB statutes explicitly outlines board composition requirements: a seven-member structure with the SBB director serving ex officio as chairman and the Head of the National Forest Service as vice-chairman. Additional representatives should be nominated from concession holders, indigenous communities, environmental organizations, the Finance Ministry, university institutions, and the National Army. Sources indicate this appointment controversy initially surfaced as a discussion point back in August.
The current conflict follows a year-long dispute between Ravenberg and the previous board. Four now-replaced members had previously sued the director over alleged unauthorized changes to SBB’s staff leadership structure. The former board insisted that SBB cover legal expenses for their lawsuit against Ravenberg, which the director refused. This led to the board’s lawyer separately taking legal action against Ravenberg. Despite having testified before a judge in this matter, Ravenberg maintains that since he didn’t initiate the lawsuit, SBB shouldn’t bear associated legal costs.