Henry Neijhorst
Henry Roëll Neijhorst | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 7, 1940 Suriname |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, politician, banker |
| Known for | Prime Minister of Suriname (1982), Minister of Finance (1980) |
Henry Roëll Neijhorst (also spelled Neyhorst; born 7 January 1940) is an economist from Suriname who held the position of Prime Minister of Suriname between 31 March and 9 December 1982, and previously served as Minister of Finance from 15 March to 15 August 1980.
Education and early career
Neijhorst pursued his studies in economics at both the University of Amsterdam and the School of Economics in Rotterdam, ultimately obtaining his economics degree (drs.) from the Catholic University of Tilburg in 1972. During his academic years, he was actively involved with the Nationalist Student Movement, which consisted of Surinamese students residing in the Netherlands.
Cabinet
Following the 1980 Sergeants' Coup, Prime Minister Henk Chin A Sen appointed Neijhorst as Minister of Finance. At that time, he was serving as economic director at the National Development Bank. When the Minister of Economic Planning was dismissed in June, Neijhorst took over that portfolio as well. He stepped down shortly after President Johan Ferrier was compelled to resign in August 1980.
After leaving office, Neijhorst became a member of the Committee for Netherlands-Suriname Cooperation and took on the role of director at the Surinaams Postspaarbank (Surinamese Postal Savings Bank).
In March 1982, Neijhorst succeeded Chin A Sen as Prime Minister while also acting as Finance Minister. He was part of a four-person Policy Centre, which included Foreign Minister Harvey Naarendorp, Military Council Chairman Desi Bouterse, and Vice-Chairman Roy Horb. This body was established to facilitate dialogue between the National Military Council and the civilian Cabinet. Nevertheless, Neijhorst and his Cabinet resigned following the National Military Council's unilateral decision to execute opposition figures during the December Murders.
In 1991, Neijhorst provided economic counsel to the administration led by Ronald Venetiaan.
Later career
Neijhorst contributed historical photographs of sports teams from the 1960s to The First Surinamese Sports Encyclopaedia (1893-1988). Additionally, he edited a collection of writings by Jnan Adhin published in 1998. In 2010, in celebration of Humphrey Mijnals' eightieth birthday, Neijhorst collaborated with the Surinamese Football Association to produce a commemorative brochure recognizing Mijnals' trailblazing role as one of the earliest foreign players in Brazilian football and as the first nonwhite captain of USV Elinkwijk.