Emile Linus Alfred Wijntuin (22 September 1924 – 7 May 2020) was a Surinamese politician who served as Chairman of the National Assembly of Suriname from 1975 until the aftermath of the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état. Wijntuin was a member of the Progressive Surinamese People's Party (PSV).

Biography

Wijntuin was born in the Coronie District on 22 September 1924 in a family of farmers. At age 12, he was sent to Paramaribo for high school education. In 1943, he became an assistant teacher and received his teaching degree in 1947. During this period, he befriended father Jozef Weidmann and became interested in politics. In August 1926, Weidmann was one of the founders of PSV, a Christian democratic party. Wijntuin joined the PSV shortly after its foundation. He first ran for office in 1955, but lost to Johan Kraag. From 1958 to 1967 and 1968 to 1980, he was a member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. Wijntuin became chairman of PSV in 1971. He served as the Chairman of the Estates of Suriname from 1973 to 1975. After the 1980 coup d'etat, Wijntuin was placed under house arrest. In 1982, he left Suriname, and lived in

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. He tried to gather support from the European and South American Christian democrats but found himself increasingly isolated. Wijntuin returned after the restoration of democracy in 1991 but refrained from politics, and started to focus on writing books. Wijntuin died on 7 May 2020 at the age of 95.

Other activities

In 1962, the Father Weidmann Foundation, was established. The foundation operates a home for stray children, and was chaired by Wijntuin until his death. In 1994, he published his autobiography ''Reflekties uit een politiek verleden''. In 1998, Wijntuin wrote ''Louis Doedel, martelaar voor het Surinaamse volk'', about Louis Doedel, a union leader who was involuntary committed in psychiatric hospital on 28 May 1937 by Governor Kielstra. Doedel was forgotten and presumed dead. It wasn't until 1980, that he was released.

Honours

*: ''Grand Cordon'' Honorary Order of the Yellow Star *: Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau (April 1967) *: Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion (November 1975) *: '' Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' (October 2020)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijntuin, Emile 1924 births 2020 deaths People from Coronie District Surinamese male writers Chairmen of the Estates of Suriname Members of the National Assembly (Suriname) Speakers of the National Assembly (Suriname) Grand Cordons of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Recipients of the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice