PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Perry Geerlings appointed a fellow Surinamese Racquel Lo Fo Wong as the Director of the Central Bank of St. Maarten.
Lo Fo Wong worked at the RBC Bank a Senior Officer in the Corporate Business Banking. She worked her last day on Friday and is expected to take up the new position as early as next week. Lo Fo Wong also worked at Orco Bank and former ABN Amro Bank.
The appointment shocks several persons within the political arena as well as the community. One MP said that a local St. Maartener Dwayne President was by-passed. President has been working in a senior position for quite some time and he even replaced the Branch Manager at times.
Some Members of Parliament intend to call Finance Minister Perry Geerlings to Parliament on the appointment especially since they believe Lo Fo Wong does not qualify for the job since she could not perform well as an Account Executive at Orco Bank where she supposedly had low productivity. The MPs that are outraged with the appointment says that Government and Parliament were not consulted on the appointment of Lo Fo Wong. They further stated that if the Surinamese national could not produce as an Account Manager then they want to know how she will produce as a regulator. Besides that, the MPs referred to an interview that Geerlings did in Suriname calling on Surinamese to come to St. Maarten for work. They said the Minister filled his cabinet with Surinamese and that local does not stand a chance with him.
Lo Fo Wong could not be reached for comment. When SMN News contacted her for a comment she said she is ill and should only be contacted on working days.