“We have had shortcomings and I accept the responsibility for that,” said the president who is currently running his re-election campaign. From the moment Santokhi came into office in 2020, he has always presented himself as a reformer who had to pull Suriname out of the economic and institutional crisis. But his past years in office were overshadowed by political tensions, social discontent, protests and a wave of criticism in response to the decision making of his administration. Santokhi acknowledged that many policy measures were either implemented insufficiently or  too late.

 “The people had certain  expectations. We had promised transparency, recovery of institutions and economic improvement. We did not always succeed,” said the head of state. Citizens often complain about the fact that their purchasing power has weakened. “We waited too long with the implementation of social measures,” said President Santokhi who also added that his administration failed to improve communication with the nation. “Sometimes we should have explained things more clearly. We should have explained why certain decisions were made. The people felt excluded,” said Santokhi who added that this eventually led to frustration and distrust among the people which eventually turned into protests and strikes.  President Santokhi also claimed that some members of his administration were appointed even though they lacked the skills to get the job done. He also claimed that their appointment happened under political pressure.  “We gave people a chance even though they did not even deserve a chance. It was a hard lesson,” said Santokhi who added that “in various cases this resulted in dysfunctional ministries and public scandals.” “I understand why citizens have run out of patience. I know that people are angry but I ask them to show understanding. We took over a country that had been raided. A country with debts, unstable institutions and distrust in the system. It takes time to repair all that,” said Santokhi who emphasized the efforts of his administration that were aimed at rearranging the state finances, international debts and the repair of relations with multilateral partners. “A lot of work was done but it was not always visible to the people.” The head of state assured  that his administration would work hard to correct the mistakes that were made. “We will adjust our state policy and we will listen more closely to the people. We have already launched a program aimed at making corrections. The presidency is a heavy task. I work long hours.  I make difficult decisions and sometimes that makes one lonely. But I keep working for the country. I do not hide behind others,” said Santokhi.