Olton Willem van Genderen (17 October 1921 – 9 November 1990) was a

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

se civil servant and politician. He served as

Deputy Prime Minister of Suriname The Deputy Prime Minister of Suriname () was a title given to a member of the Cabinet of Ministers of Suriname between 1954 and 1988, often to recognize members of other parties in the ruling coalition. The deputy prime minister served as ac ...

from 24 December 1973 until the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, ...

of 25 February 1980. He was one of the main negotiators for the

Independence of Suriname The early history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE when Native Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any numbers dates from the 17th century, when it was a plantation colony u ...

Biography

Van Genderen was born on 17 October 1921 in Albina. He worked for the customs agency. In 1950s, he went to Rotterdam for four years, and became a licensed customs officer. Van Genderen became active in the trade union and politics. He was given the honorary title ''Da Djendé'' ( Ndyuka: Beautiful teacher). In 1958, he was first elected to the

Estates of Suriname The National Assembly (''De Nationale Assemblée'', ''The 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 i ...

, and was re-elected five times. On 16 May 1967, he was elected Chairman of the Estates of Suriname, and served until 1 September 1969. On 15 December 1973, he was re-elected as Chairman, however he resigned on 28 December, because on 24 December, he had been elected as Deputy Prime Minister of Suriname in the

Arron Arron is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Arron Afflalo, American basketball player *Arron Asham, Canadian hockey player * Arron Crawford, Australian cricketer *Arron Davies, Welsh footballer *Arro ...

cabinet. He also served as Minister of District Administration and Decentralisation. The Arron government was in dialogue with the Dutch government about the

, and van Genderen became one of the main negotiators. On 25 November 1975, Suriname became an independent country. In 1977, he was appointed Minister of the Interior which was the successor of Ministry of District Administration and Decentralisation. On 25 February 1980,

Desi Bouterse DESI may refer to * Desorption electrospray ionization * Drug Efficacy Study Implementation * Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument See also * Desi (disambiguation) Desi or Deshi is a self-referential term used by South Asian people. Desi may al ...

committed a coup d'état. Arron went into hiding, however van Genderen was captured. On 26 February, van Genderen and Minister Badrising announced the surrender of the government on television, and asked the population not to resist the military regime. On 28 February, Arron surrendered to the regime. Van Genderen was placed under house arrest until February 1981. On 19 June 1981, van Genderen was sentenced to four months imprisonment minus time served under house arrest, and a total fine of ƒ 55,000. Van Genderen died on 9 November 1990, at the age of 69.

Honours and legacy

* : Commander in the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star. * : Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau (1967). * : Knight in the Order of Francisco de Miranda. In 2021, the Emmastraat in Albina was renamed Olton Willem van Genderen Boulevard in his honour.

References

External links

*
Olton Willem van Genderen Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genderen, Olton van 1921 births 1990 deaths People from Marowijne District National Party of Suriname politicians Government ministers of Suriname Chairmen of the Estates of Suriname Surinamese politicians Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Honorary Order of the Yellow Star