Jozef Weidmann

Weidmann was born on 3 October 1899 in Kerkrade, Netherlands. In 1925, he was ordained priest of the Catholic Church.[1] In 1928, he was sent to Suriname as a missionary, and worked in the interior among the Maroons and Amerindians. Later, he became a priest in Paramaribo. On 7 December 1942, Wilhelmina of the Netherlands made a radio speech promising autonomy for the colonies. Weidmann decided to become politically active, and asked the Vatican permission to relieve him, and venture into politics.[2]

In August 1946, Weidmann was one of the founders of the Progressive Surinamese People's Party (PSV), a Christian democratic party.[5] He started to emphasise universal suffrage, because he was of the opinion that democracy was not possible without universal suffrage first.[2] On 16 February 1948, Weidmann founded the Progressive Workers Organisation (PWO), the oldest recognised trade union in Suriname, and served as its chairperson.[4] On 7 March 1948, he organised a demonstration for universal suffrage which was attended by more than 20,000 people.[3]

On 28 January 1948,[6] Johann de Miranda, a member of the PSV, attended the First Round Table Conference in The Hague on behalf of Suriname,[7] In July 1948, the States General of the Netherlands voted to extend universal suffrage to Suriname.[6] On 30 May 1949, the first general election was held, however the PSV failed to gain any seats.[8]

Weidmann died on 15 September 1962 at the age of 62.[1]

After his death, the Father Weidmann Foundation, was established.[1] The foundation was chaired by Emile Wijntuin and operates a home for stray children.[9] On 1 April 1975,[10] Weidmann was honoured with a statue created by Jozef Klas.[3] The statue is located near the offices of the PWO,[11] and a street in Rainville was named after Father Weidmann.[12] In 1996, Wijntuin published Weidmann, grondlegger van het algemeen kiesrecht in Suriname, a biography about Weidmann and the struggle for universal suffrage.[13]