Johan Adolf "Jopie" Pengel (20 January 1916 – 5 June 1970) was a

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

se politician, and

prime minister of Suriname This article lists the prime ministers of Suriname from 1949 to 1988. In 1988 the position of Prime Minister of Suriname was abolished and replaced by a Vice President of Suriname, vice president, who chairs the Council of Ministers ex officio. ...

from 30 June 1963 to 5 March 1969 for the

National Party of Suriname The National Party of Suriname (, NPS) is a political party in Suriname, founded in 1946, and since June 2012 led by Gregory Rusland. For a long time it was the largest ruling party in the country, and it has been in government for a total of ove ...

(NPS).

Biography

Pengel was born in Paramaribo on 20 January 1916. He went to law school, but did not graduate. Van Dijck owned a large parcel of ground close to Pengel's home which was rented to poor

Afro The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...

and

Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese, or Hindustani Surinamese are nationals of Suriname who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent. Their ancestors were indentured labourers brought by the Dutch and the British to the Dutch colony of S ...

people, and started to demand large rent increases. Pengel started a protest movement against Van Dijck, and managed to raise enough money to buy the land. In 1949, he joined the

, and was elected to the

Estates of Suriname The National Assembly (, commonly abbreviated "DNA") is the Parliament, representing the legislative branch of government in Suriname. It is a unicameral legislature. The assembly has been situated in the former park house at the Independence S ...

. He became one of the most influential politicians in Suriname at that time. In 1952, he became chairman of General Alliance of Labour Unions in Suriname. In 1955, he was elected Chairman of the Estates of Suriname.De Nationale Assemblée: Lijst van Oud-Voorzitters
/ref> In 1955, the NPS, led by Pengel and the United Hindustani Party (VHP), the largest Hindu party led by

Jagernath Lachmon Jagernath Lachmon, also Jaggernath Lachmon, (21 September 1916 – 19 October 2001) was a Surinamese politician. He was one of the founders of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), an Indo-Surinamese party founded in 1947 of which he served as Pre ...

, fashioned a coalition which successfully took power in 1958, and held it until 1967, allowing both the groups to understand each other. In 1958, Pengel was

formateur A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur i ...

of the Emanuels government, however he decided to remain party leader and not take part in the government. In 1963, Pengel was elected

Prime Minister of Suriname This article lists the prime ministers of Suriname from 1949 to 1988. In 1988 the position of Prime Minister of Suriname was abolished and replaced by a Vice President of Suriname, vice president, who chairs the Council of Ministers ex officio. ...

. Under Pengel's government, the Surinamese infrastructure was strongly developed. Roads were constructed and existing infrastructure was strongly improved. Two new hospitals were built. In 1967, he was re-elected and also served as Minister of General Affair, Interior and

Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

. The

States General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( ) is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate (Netherlands), Senate () and the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of R ...

was of the opinion that Pengel's government was spending too much money, and cut development aid. This caused strikes which led to the downfall of his government in 1969. Pengel died of

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

on 5 June 1970, at the age of 54 in Paramaribo.

Legacy

Pengel owned a country residence in Carolina on the Blackwatra Creek. Artificial rapids were constructed in the creek to give the impression of a bubble bath. After his death, it was turned into the Blaka Watra recreation area. Pengel was a collector of animals. When he received lions in 1966, he thought it would be better to build a zoo. In 1972, the

Paramaribo Zoo The Paramaribo Zoo is the only zoo in Paramaribo, Suriname. The zoo opened in May 1972, and was an initiative of prime-minister Jopie Pengel. It is located adjacent to the in Rainville, Paramaribo. History Prime-minister Pengel privately kept ...

opened. In 1974, a statue of Pengel was revealed on

Onafhankelijkheidsplein The Onafhankelijkheidsplein (; Independence Square) is a town square in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname. The square is situated in the historical inner city, near the Suriname River and the Presidential Palace of Suriname. Before the indep ...

. The statue was created by Stuart Robles de Medina. In 1990, the main airport at Zanderij was renamed

Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Suriname Airways, Surinam Airway ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pengel, Johan Adolf 1916 births 1970 deaths National Party of Suriname politicians Politicians from Paramaribo Prime ministers of Suriname Finance ministers of Suriname Surinamese evangelicals Chairmen of the Estates of Suriname Deaths from sepsis Surinamese trade unionists