Johan Adolf "Jopie" Pengel (20 January 1916 – 5 June 1970) was a Surinamese 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, who chairs the Council of Ministers ex officio. List of prime ministers ;P ...

from 30 June 1963 to 5 March 1969 for the

National Party of Suriname The National Party of Suriname ( nl, Nationale Partij Suriname, NPS) is a social democratic 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, ...

(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 type created by natural growth of kinky 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?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...

and

Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese or Hindustani Surinamese are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Suriname with ancestry from India and the wider subcontinent. Their ancestors were Indian indentured workers brought by the Dutch and t ...

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. 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 ...

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, who chairs the Council of Ministers ex officio. List of prime ministers ;P ...

. 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. The States General of the Netherlands 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, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

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 A bubble bath is a filled bathtub with a layer of surfactant foam on the surface of the water and consequently also the surfactant product used to produce the foam or soap. Less commonly, aerated or carbonated baths are called ''bubble baths''. ...

. 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 built a zoo. In 1972, the

Paramaribo Zoo The Paramaribo Zoo is the only zoo in 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 many anim ...

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 indepen ...

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

Zanderij Zanderij is a village located in the northern part of Suriname, situated 50 kilometres south of the capital Paramaribo on the Southern East-West Link. The Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , al ...

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 Surinam Airways, south of Par ...

References

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