Maya Parbhoe | |
|---|---|
 Parbhoe in 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 25, 1988 Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Political party | NPS |
| Alma mater | Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Hogeschool Inholland, Florida International University |
| Website | maya2025.com |
Maya Parbhoe is a Surinamese businesswoman and politician who is a candidate for the 2025 presidential elections of Suriname. Since December 2024 she is a member of the National Party of Suriname. [1] She is CEO of Daedalus Labs and board member of Icarus Geo. [2]
Maya Parbhoe's father owned a computer store in the mid-1990s, which is how she learned to program and tinker with computers as a child. Her grandfather was politically active, and her father had similar ambitions. [3] On September 4th 2001, when Parbhoe was 13 years old, her father Winod Parbhoe was murdered, [4] according to his daughter a couple of days after he had exposed corruption at the De Surinaamsche Bank. [5] Winod was active in the casino business in Suriname. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Even before her studies, she started Quickship at the age of fifteen, a company in the field of real estate and logistics. [3]
Since the mid-2020s, she has been the CEO of Daedalus Labs, a company in the field of bitcoin and nostr. [2] The company focuses on developing the infrastructure of the capital market using bitcoin technology. [3] Additionally, she is a board member of the Surinamese engineering firm Icarus Geo.
She ensured that Suriname participates in the MIT REAP, [10] the Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which provides an approach to strengthening innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems (innovation-driven entrepreneurial [IDE] ecosystems). In practice, she aims to help innovate agriculture in Suriname, increase exports, and ensure that the emerging Surinamese oil sector becomes a success. The ultimate goal for Suriname is the transformation towards prosperity, sustainability, and economic growth. However, according to her, the biggest challenge is to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of Suriname. [3]
In an interview with Parbode in May 2024, she shared her vision for payment systems in Suriname. The country is lagging behind in the digital transformation of the financial sector. Many Surinamese still pay in cash and do not have a debit- or credit card. As a result, Suriname could be missing out on many opportunities. She spoke at panels in America and Europe and approached institutions and companies at the World Economic Forum in Davos to invest in Suriname, in an effort to help unlock financial opportunities for the country. At her invitation, Canadian bitcoin entrepreneur Samson Mow visited Suriname at the end of 2023 to discuss the development of Suriname using bitcoin with President Chan Santokhi and Surinamese business leaders. [3]
She is given space by party chairman Gregory Rusland to operate within the NPS and share her plans. [1] The first version of her plans was shared through her website, where she presents herself as a presidential candidate, Running for Office - A New Type Of President. One of her plans is to replace the currency of Suriname with bitcoin, aiming to go further than how it has been introduced in El Salvador. [2]
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a medium level of human development; its economy is heavily dependent on its abundant natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum, and agricultural products. Suriname is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the United Nations, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
The economy of Suriname was largely dependent upon the exports of aluminium oxide and small amounts of aluminium produced from bauxite mined in the country. However, after the departure of Alcoa, the economy depended on the exports of crude oil and gold. Suriname was ranked the 124th safest investment destination in the world in the March 2011 Euromoney Country Risk rankings.
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Jules Sedney was a Surinamese politician, and Prime Minister of Suriname from 20 November 1969 to 24 December 1973. In 1980, he became governor of the Central Bank of Suriname, but had to flee the country in 1983 after a dispute with Dési Bouterse. Sedney returned to Suriname in 1989.
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Gregory Allan Rusland is a Surinamese politician. He served as Minister for Natural Resources between 2005 and 2010. In 2012 he became leader of the National Party of Suriname. Rusland has been a member of the National Assembly since 2015.
Winston Jessurun is a Surinamese politician and plastic surgeon. He was member of the National Assembly for the Democratic Alternative '91 between 1991 and 2015 for Paramaribo District.
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Krishnakoemarie "Krishna" Mathoera is a Surinamese senior policewoman who became a politician in 2015. She is a member of the National Assembly in Suriname for the Progressive Reform Party (VHP). On 16 July 2020, Mathoera was appointed as Minister of Defense.
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David George Findlay was a Surinamese politician, editor, and writer. He was the owner and chief editor of the newspaper De West.
Alexander Lodewijk Antonius Rijger was a Surinamese country singer and songwriter. He was known for his television specials for Christmas and Mother's Day. Before becoming a musician, he was a basketball player and referee, founding the local club SCVU.
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The history of Suriname during World War II was mainly focused on protecting the bauxite industry and guarding the borders with French Guiana which was part of Vichy France. From November 1941 onwards, 2,000 American troops were stationed in Suriname who transformed Airstrip Zanderij into a major airport, and constructed defensive works. No actual battles took place in Suriname. There was a political crisis in 1943, because Governor Johannes Kielstra used the state of emergency to imprison political opponents.
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