(De Ware Tijd) THE HAGUE – Due to a lack of a vision for development and leadership, Suriname could not take full advantage of the 3.5 billion Dutch guilders in development aid it was given by the Netherlands in 1975. Hundreds of millions of guilders and Euros in development aid were spent on projects that either failed or did not contribute to Suriname’s development. Good priorities for spending the aid were not always set. Maarten Schalkwijk, professor of Social Change and Development at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname gives this reply to DWT’s question whether the development aid has brought the desired development for Suriname. In its 2010 annual report, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that as of December 31, 2010, Suriname has 300,000 Euros of development aid funds left. The original development aid was given when Suriname became independent in 1975. In 2005, both countries agreed to phase out the aid in 2010. In early October 2008, around 160 million Euros was still available. Professor Schalkwijk, who has done research in the area of development cooperation, mentions the West Suriname project as an example of the fact that development aid funds were not always spent efficiently. Some 200 million Euros were spent on this failed project to start a new bauxite industry in Suriname.
