Jules Sedney

Jules Sedney (28 September 192218 June 2020) was a Surinamese politician, and Prime Minister of Suriname from 20 November 1969 to 24 December 1973. In 1980, he became governor of the Central Bank of Suriname, He passed the customs officer certification exam in 1942 and became a customs officer in Paramaribo. He obtained his doctorate in economic sciences in 1955 at the University of Amsterdam.

Political career In 1958, Sedney became Minister of Finance for the NPS. In 1961, Sedney argued for the creation of a scientific institute in Suriname, which later developed into the University of Suriname (currently known as the Anton de Kom University).

From 1969 to 1973, Sedney served as Prime Minister of Suriname. He led a multi-ethnic government that he believed to have the checks and balances necessary to grow the Surinamese economy. In 1969, Sedney embarked on the first steps towards the independence of Suriname: he proposed a Koninkrijkscommissie (Kingdom Commission) which would set the path towards independence. The commission came into effect on 5 January 1972. However, Sedney later became a vocal critic of the same commission, arguing that the Dutch PvdA was acting in undue haste. From Sedney's perspective, independence should have been planned more carefully over a longer time period. He also raised concerns about ethnic tensions.

In 1980, Sedney became the governor of the Central Bank of Suriname. In 1983, he was fired after a dispute with Desi Bouterse In January 1983, he went into exile in the Netherlands. He was allowed to return to Suriname in 1989. Successive editions were published in 2010 and 2017. In 2016, he was awarded honorary membership by the VHP.

Sedney died on 18 June 2020. He had been hospitalized just prior to his death.

Selected publications Jules Sedney, Het werkgelegenheidsaspect van het Surinaamse Tienjaren Plan (The Employment Aspect of the Surinamese Ten-Year Plan). (1955) Amsterdam: S. J. P. Bakker. Doctoral Dissertation. Jules Sedney, Ontwerp grondwet van de Pendawa Lima (Concept Constitution). (1986) Amsterdam: S.V.R-Pendawa Lima Jules Sedney, De Toekomst van Ons Verleden: Democratie, Etniciteit en Politieke Machtsvorming in Suriname (The Future of Our Past: Democracy, Ethnicity and Political Power in Suriname). (1997, 1st ed.) Paramaribo: VACO Publishers.