Krishnakoemarie "Krishna" Mathoera (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkriʃnaːkuˌmaːri maːˈturaː]; born 23 May 1963) is a Surinamese senior policewoman who became a politician in 2015. She was a member of the National Assembly in Suriname for the Progressive Reform Party (VHP). On 16 July 2020, Mathoera was appointed as Minister of Defense.
Krishna Mathoera | |
---|---|
Minister of Defense | |
Assumed office 16 July 2020 | |
Preceded by | Ronni Benschop |
Member of the National Assembly | |
Assumed office 2015 | |
Constituency | Paramaribo District |
Personal details | |
Born | Krishnakoemarie Mathoera 23 May 1963 Wanica, Suriname[1] |
Political party | Progressive Reform Party (VHP) |
Occupation | Police chief, politician |
She was born in 1963. She began her public service in about 1980[2] when she joined the Suriname police force and served for 34 years. During that time in she was Suriname's representative with the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission from 2010 for five years. When she left in 2015 she decided to run for parliament.[3]
She is a member of the National Assembly in Suriname for the Progressive Reform Party (VHP).[4]
She believes in law and order and that more of the national budget should be spent on law enforcement.[5] Her own estimate is that the proceeds from illegal drugs is contributing about a billion dollars into the Suriname economy as it estimated that only about 20% of smuggled drugs are intercepted by the police.[5]
She hoped to restore the country's economics noting that between 2010 and 2020 the value of 2000 Suriname dollars in US dollars had fallen from $714 to $142 - lowering the buying power of every citizen. The reduced exchange rate effects the large national debt. The current debt was $5,480.34, but with the reduced exchange rate this translated into a debt, per capita, of SRD 78,120.[6]
In 2011, Mathoera graduated with a master's degree in public administration at the FHR Lim A Po Institute for Social Studies in Paramaribo.[7]
She was pleased to see the turnout for the 2020 Surinamese general election but although she was there at 6:30 a.m. it was taking hours to process the voters.[8] She was popularly re-elected in the 2020 election when she was the VHP party leader in Paramaribo,[9] and is one of seven elected VHP members of Paramaribo.[10] On 16 July 2020, she became the Minister of Defense in the cabinet of Santokhi.[11]