Marijke Djwalapersad

Marijke Indradebie Djwalapersad (28 December 1951 – 11 September 2025) was a Surinamese politician who served as Chairperson of the National Assembly of Suriname from 1996 until 2000. In 1999, Djwalapersad founded the political party Naya Kadam, but was not re-elected.

Life and career Djwalapersad was born in the Saramacca Polder on 28 December 1951. She was active as a translator in Hindi, English, Sarnami, Sranan Tongo, and Dutch. In 1991, she joined the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), but failed to be elected.

She was first elected to the National Assembly in 1996. After the elections, there was a disagreement within the VHP whether they should become part of the government. Five elected members including Djwalapersad split from the VHP, and formed the Basic Party for Renewal and Democracy (BVD) which would enter into a coalition government with the NDP.

In 1999, Djwalapersad founded the political party Naya Kadam, but remained chairperson. In 2019, Djwalapersad was awarded the Golden Gavel Award by the .