Just Rens

Just Rens
Rens in 1971
Personal details
Born(1916-04-12)12 April 1916
Paramaribo, Suriname
Died16 February 1981(1981-02-16) (aged 64)
Paramaribo, Suriname
PartyNational Party of Suriname
Progressive National Party
OccupationPolitician

Just Rens (12 April 1916 – 16 February 1981) was a Surinamese politician. He was a member of the Estates of Suriname and served as a government minister. Originally a member of the National Party of Suriname (NPS), he left the party following a political conflict and founded the Progressive National Party (PNP) in 1967.

Political career

Rens was elected to the Estates of Suriname as a member of the National Party of Suriname (NPS). He was among the NPS candidates elected in the 1951 Surinamese general election and was again elected in the 1958 Surinamese general election.

Following the 1963 Surinamese general election, Rens became Minister of Development in the government led by Johan Adolf Pengel. He succeeded Frank Essed, who had held the development portfolio from 1958 to 1963.

Rens eventually came into conflict with the leadership of the NPS. In January 1967 he was dismissed from his ministerial position. Later that month, he founded the Progressive National Party (PNP), which contested the 1967 Surinamese general election.

The new party won three seats in the Estates. Rens was elected alongside Jules Sedney and Aksel Quintus Bosz.

In the 1969 Surinamese general election, the PNP participated as part of an electoral alliance with several other parties. Following the election, the PNP joined a coalition with the VHP bloc, and PNP politician Jules Sedney became Prime Minister of Suriname.

Rens subsequently served as Minister of Economic Affairs. In this capacity he was involved in efforts to develop the Surinamese airline SLM and strengthen its position in international aviation.

The PNP lost its parliamentary representation in the 1973 Surinamese general election, receiving approximately 3.2% of the vote and failing to win a seat.

Death

Rens died unexpectedly in Paramaribo on 16 February 1981, aged 64.

Legacy

A residential development in the Kwatta area of Paramaribo became known as the Rens Project, named after Rens.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Progressieve Nationale Partij". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Nohlen, Dieter (2005). Elections in the Americas: A Data Handbook. Vol. I. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199283576.
  3. ↑ "Pengel vormt regering in Suriname". Algemeen Handelsblad. 29 April 1963.
  4. ↑ "Regeringspartijen in Suriname vaster in het zadel". Algemeen Dagblad. 18 March 1967.
  5. 1 2 "Tangie fu bung na kodja". Dagblad Suriname (in Dutch). 8 October 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Oudminister Just Rens overleden" (PDF). Amigoe (in Dutch). 17 February 1981. Retrieved 21 August 2026.