“The police commissioner and the minister are the only ones left to be taken. Everything vanishes. Gold, mercury and detainees”, said MP Jerrel Pawiroredjo, leader of the faction of the National Party Suriname in parliament. The recent escape of a suspect from a jailhouse has triggered another wave of criticism. This incident happened after previous ones which connected police officers to crime organizations. The MPs also criticized the Police Force Suriname for failing to tackle traffic crime which in turn has resulted in a growing number of road deaths. MP Ronnie Brunswijk (ABOP) who is also the chairman of the political party that made sure that Monorath would become the new minister of Justice and Police defended him by saying that “it is unjust to place all of the responsibility on the minister’s shoulders”. He pointed out that the daily operations of the police force are in the hands of the police commissioner, the regional police chiefs and other officials. MP Brunswijk explained that the minister determines the policy but that “is not the one to control what happens in the streets”. He made it clear that parliament must also demand accountability from the police commissioner when there are shortcomings.

MP Pawiroredjo (NPS) rejected this excuse and made it clear that the criticism is not aimed against Monorath but at the ineffective policy. “Incidents keep piling up within the police force”, said MP Pawiroredjo. Minister Monorath defended himself by explaining that the executive branch and the Public Prosecutor's Office have their designated tasks. “The attorney general decides if police officers who are suspected of a crime must be prosecuted and arrested. The ministry can suspend the officers but an arrest can only take place after the attorney general had given the green light.”