Maya Parbhoe
I look at El Salvador and I see hope, I see a future. And the moment I saw that, you know, Miguel is doing it and he can actually, you can actually do it, you can fight global powers and do what's best for your country, you can have Bitcoin as legal tender. My goal is to replace SRD with Satoshis, just scrap it, multiple governments have done it previously, with a central bank. Tthey scrapped zero they've changed the the currency three times already. There's no reason why we couldn't substitute SRD with sets. And I see that as a way to build a new system.
Mike Peterson
Maya I'm glad you can join us. I hear you could potentially be the future president of Suriname. So you would be the first president that we've interviewed here if it all goes as it should. So I'm excited to hear more about what you're doing. And actually the to hear a little history of Suriname I, I've always seen it. It's kind of that little, you know, in the corner those three little countries up there that people kind of know are there and never go to visit. So, excited to get a little more history and inform myself about the history in Suriname and what the conditions are like now and then the role you see Bitcoin playing. So, if you could give us a little history lesson first and then tell us how Bitcoin comes into this.
Maya Parbhoe
Sure. Excited to be here, Mike. Well, Suriname is a pretty small country on the northern coast of South America. As you said, usually see it but don't visited most people don't even know where it is. A former Dutch colony, actually former British colony to.
Mike Peterson
So the Dutch took it from the British?
Maya Parbhoe
Well, actually, it was traded. So they traded New York for Suriname.
Mike Peterson
Really?
Maya Parbhoe
Yes. So that's a very interesting and not very well known fact. But well, you know, you're welcome New York. No, but we were.
Mike Peterson
So the Dutch had New York?
Maya Parbhoe
Yes.
Mike Peterson
And they traded it?
Maya Parbhoe
For Suriname.
Mike Peterson
Really? I didn't know that.
Maya Parbhoe
We had a better location, logistically, and also better ground for. We had gold resources, but also for farming much better land. And we've, yeah, basically, we got our independence from the Dutch in 1975. So it's a very young Republic, a young nation.
Mike Peterson
But the Dutch is still the national language?
Maya Parbhoe
Yes. That's just still our native language. Second would be English. And then flows third. Yeah, there there. It's actually a melting pot of cultures. So you have the Maroons, you have the Creole, you have Chinese you have Japanese, you have Lebanese, we have Hindus, most of them.
Mike Peterson
Are these most mostly been there for generations.
Maya Parbhoe
Yes.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
Yes. All of them, most of them have that been there for multiple generations. And we have a population for example, Brazilians that those have been coming in over the last couple of decades. So it's it's yeah, it's a it's an it's a nice mix of cultures.
Mike Peterson
And how do the different cultures get along? Well, are they kind of keep to themselves or is that how the political parties are formed? What role does that play?
Maya Parbhoe
Well actually, it is, there was historically, after independence that everything was much more focused or political parties were focused on race or heritage. Now, it's, even though political parties are getting a lot more diverse, but our entire population is actually very, very, very peaceful. We have a mosque next to a synagogue. We don't have, you know, like, racial violence or anything of that sort. People are pretty peaceful and if there's a holiday for example, we recently had Bagua Festival. And the entire country celebrates so it's not just you know, that specific group that does it is everyone celebrates and that is like that for every.
Mike Peterson
So there's a lot of holidays?
Maya Parbhoe
A lot. A broad range of holidays and everybody participates in all of them.
Mike Peterson
What's the weather like?
Maya Parbhoe
They're very similar to El Salvador. Actually not as high.
Mike Peterson
This is the hot months here in El Salvador.
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah. So not as hot as here. But it's of course, it's an El Niño year. So it's a bit extra hot this year, but.
Mike Peterson
It's pretty low lying coastal.
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah.
Mike Peterson
Near the equator.
Maya Parbhoe
99. Yes, five degrees north of the equator and we're 93% forested. So it's, it's, we have a, you know, broad Amazon rainforest. That's been it's actually one of the few two countries in the world I believe. Hold Don't hold me that it could be three, that are carbon negative.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
So we have a very, very large Amazon rainforest that that's been preserved over over the last couple of decades. And a broad range of biodiversity as well, similar to hear we also have the slots.
Mike Peterson
So is there like a couple of main cities where almost everybody lives and outside of that?
Maya Parbhoe
There's actually one main city, Paramaribo.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
And in Parramatta. But I think it's about 250,000 people that live.
Mike Peterson
So little less than half our country lives and?
Maya Parbhoe
Yes, lives in in the main city. The city is a UNESCO heritage site so it is old, wooden colonial buildings. We have the tallest wooden church on the continent.
Mike Peterson
Really?
Maya Parbhoe
Yes. And everything is wood. So it's all from you know, the Colonial Era when the Dutch were here.
Mike Peterson
It's not a in the wood holds up there. It's not like a humid climate?
Maya Parbhoe
It's very humid, but they maintain it because it's a UNESCO heritage site. So it's, it's maintained. So we don't have skyscrapers or large buildings. I mean, there are there's I think one building that's 14 storeys and that's about it. So and that's not even in the city. So it's, it's, it's a pretty yeah, historical, historical city. A lot of people live in the area surrounding the city. And then you have part of the population that lives in Nickerie, which is on the west coast. And then a part lives on the East Coast, Mungo and the rest are spread in some other districts, like small populations in different districts and then you have the entire south of the country, which is completely green, where you have villages and different. Yet it's a hundreds of villages with smaller population.
Maya Parbhoe
And are these like a lot of these villages that aren't accessible by road that are kind of just super remote?
Maya Parbhoe
Yes. A lot of.
Mike Peterson
Kind of do their own thing?
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah, a lot of them are. Some actually are like the three the three for example, they in the native Indians. They were actually there, you know, before the Europeans came and they are actually claiming about I think rights to it is more than two thirds of the country for land rights. And they they are only accessible either by airplane or by boat.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
So you have to go downstream or upstream upstream by the rivers and some you have to walk to. So it's pretty fairly remote in some areas.
Mike Peterson
And the economy is primarily dominated by natural resources, mining and and I think you said fish when we were talking earlier fish scene and gold and?
Maya Parbhoe
So our largest exports are gold, primarily oil and fish, so agriculture. Gold, we have the eighth largest mine in the world, the is one of the largest on the planet. So we have a vast amount of gold reserves and still a lot that are untapped. There were in which what they call the Guyana shield, you know, when they were looking for Eldorado, that's where the Dutch, the Dutch founded but didn't tell anyone. But basically, there's a lot of gold still in the ground. There are projects to develop more, more of the gold mining also lot of trying to prevent that from happening. And other than that we have onshore oil that's been in exploitation for decades. So we have a state owned oil company and refinery and we have massive offshore oil reserves that have been in exploration for the over. Yeah, also, I think longer than a decade now.
Mike Peterson
Those are similar to the recent big front fines in Guyana.
Maya Parbhoe
Yes, similar to the Big fines in Guyana, actually estimated that we have more oil, they have they have more gas, we have more oil. And it's estimated that we have more oil than Qatar. So it is expected that we will be one of the global powers in terms of, you know, the resources that we are going to export over the next couple of days.
Mike Peterson
So with a population so small of 600,000, and those vast natural resources. But you're explained to me earlier that the the country is still very poor, like it's it's, you know. El Salvador seems wealthy compared to the how most of the population lives there in Guyana. How does is that just because of corruption over time is this oil fines been like something new when before? I mean, just the gold you think with that, that small the population that.
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah, so the oil fines have. So they've been an exploration for a while, and they're heading into exploitation. So actually pulling the oil out of that out of the ground with a floating vessel in 2028. So that's when you see full effect of offshore oil fines. And that's when you'll see that, you know, the spin off from offshore oil as well. But similarly.
Mike Peterson
Do you think that that's going to benefit the people or do you think that it's going to.
Maya Parbhoe
It depends.
Mike Peterson
On up in Swiss bank account?
Maya Parbhoe
It depends, because it's similar to, you know, gold. You expect that having two large, significantly large gold mines in the country that the royalties from that would be enough to to sustain the economy and its people and create economic growth and development. But yeah, you have, you know, governments that want to lead or want to be in charge just to loot the country and its resources. And that's primarily what's been happening ever since independence is just a lot of mismanagement.
Maya Parbhoe
It's a lot of just them. Keeping the country, keeping the people actually uneducated, only 6% go to higher education, it's very low. Keeping the country in, in the unknown. I'm like, you don't see much about Suriname in any international medium, right? And that is not that's by design. So they like to keep everything murky, because in murky waters, you know, it's easier for them to do what they do and keep things very opaque. And that has been like that for yeah, ever since I can remember. And I see that as literally the only reason why our country is not flourishing because we have 2.8 billion GDP.
Maya Parbhoe
It is tiny. It's like a small company.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
Right. In, in a global sense. So there is no reason why with such a small population with so much resources, so much natural resources, that it shouldn't be flourishing. That it's that it is the way that it is like the average salary we were talking earlier is 175 US a month. And it wasn't like that 10 years ago, the country has so much.
Mike Peterson
So the wages have actually been going down?
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah, we have 50 to 60% inflation annually. Yeah, so our own contrary to El Salvador, we have our own currency. And our central bank actually doesn't even function like a traditional central bank does. So the tools that a normal Central Bank uses, Open market operations controlling the reserve requirement or the internal interest rates, right.\? Our central bank does not do that.
Mike Peterson
They just print money.
Maya Parbhoe
They just print money and just inject it into the economy and they just from unlikely sources find you know, US dollars and then inject that into the economy. And all that happens is because we're we import also a lot because the population is way too small to manufacture.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
Most of the things you need you need and most of the dollars that those just flow back out of the country. So, the central bank isn't in effect doing anything. And I tried to, to help in certain ways, but they keep taking, let's say, if I if I give them an explanation of how something is supposed to work or how they could improve the economy using certain financial structures or tools. They take it and they make their own version of it and a private version of it and then it becomes some big kind of scandal like open market operations.
Maya Parbhoe
For example. When I learned about Bitcoin 2012 kept what kept my eye on it went into Whirlpool. Then I think 2014 2015 And you had you know, Charlie Shrem all those guys. Yeah, ship hosting and Whirlpool talking. And it was a Bitcoin only and when I think one of the first and largest Bitcoin only chats. And I thought I could convince the admins of Whirlpool to make Suriname Bitcoin country. So I flew to a was consensus, the only conference back then in New York, had dinner with them, and it was convincing them why Suriname is the ideal place because we lack infrastructure.
Maya Parbhoe
We lack capital markets, we don't have anything, basically, and we have this highly inflationary currency. And we have a corrupt government that people need Bitcoin. And I was trying to figure out how to Trojan horse Bitcoin into the system or how we could use Bitcoin at it, you know, at a core of the economy.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
Build that capital market and empower private the private sector, empower the financial sector sector, because one of the largest barriers is that we're not connected to the global financial or broader financial markets or world actually. And then started with an exchange and from from there looking to figure out how an exchange would work if you know, Bitcoin is the core of it. I started working with a central bank and that's how we started talking about Open market operations and how Bitcoin could bridge the bridge the gap, basically, globally, and allow access from anywhere in the world to anyone to invest into to to local companies, or for local companies to easily transact with other other countries. And then they took open market operations, they, the central bank Governor got locked up in 2020.
Maya Parbhoe
And then in 2001, it actually wasn't in 20, I think, the end of 2020, or early 2021, is when they started with open market operations. And they did short term treasuries with 80% interest. So, you get a three months, six, six month, short term treasury, between the central bank and the commercial banks, and it's 80% yield. And then they they tried to fix it. And they brought it down to like 60% or 58 percentage. So, still not not not a real improvement. So they're actually actively injecting more into that economy and without even realizing. It's yeah, I don't know but if you look at the Fed meetings in the US, I think, okay, you know, it's not that bad.
Mike Peterson
It's all relative.
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly. Could be worse.
Mike Peterson
So, what made you think that running for president was the way to fix this?
Maya Parbhoe
Oh, that's all Samson's fault.
Mike Peterson
Really?
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah. I honestly would, um, I don't like politics. I, you know, in general, don't like politicians because of, you know, the nastiness of politics, actually. And because of the negative impact that politicians have had on our country. Doesn't matter which party they're from, they've all had had a hand in, in what's happened to our country. So it's never a fan of politics, to be honest. But I've always had a passion for the country.
Maya Parbhoe
And all I've now for six years, been fighting this uphill battle and struggle to get her to develop our economy to develop our country. And we had Samson in in Suriname in November last year, and we were at dinner talking. And he said, you should just run and I'm like, no. And then I actually I think it just kind of, we kept mulling it over. And I've actually been recruited by multiple political parties over the last six years while I was, you know, doing the work that I was doing, trying to develop the capital market and the economy. But always said no and then at a certain point, you realize that we're reaching an inflection point with the offshore oil fines and you know, all of these political parties have their eye because.
Mike Peterson
I imagine that's just going to mean a flood of money coming in to the especially.
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly.
Mike Peterson
Such a small population, and we've got to be talking about billions of dollars and oil revenues.
Maya Parbhoe
Yes and all of these political parties have their eyes set on it, and actually a former schoolmate of mine, was responsible for changing the constitution. So our voting law was amended, it used to be a very easily manipulable voting system. So you'd have districts, for example, that have a population of 1300. But they would have the weight of about 30 to 40,000 votes in the city. Now, it's been changed to one man, one vote. So it's a much fairer system. So that changes things significantly.
Mike Peterson
And if I mean, that must have really shaken up the political system, if they were used to.
Maya Parbhoe
It does.
Mike Peterson
Counting on winning one district the way to bunch and now they lose that?
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly, it does. But you know, it's all politics, all politicians, they're all 60 plus, they're all corrupt. They've, they all have have history, and they've all done, you know. They should all be convicted, basically just based off our government. What they've done throughout history but it gives us a shot now, to actually change the country. 40% of voters are under 35, everybody's already tired. We have protests yet last year and we're not a violent people. A friend of mine was one of the protest leaders and they had peaceful protests, he would play Soca Music, and you know, they would walk and they would clean up after themselves.
Maya Parbhoe
And it was just peaceful. But at a certain point, they got so stressed and agitated because everybody's living in survival mode and the country's just going backwards. Even though we have so much resources, and everybody just knows that it's it's this corrupt government and this government specifically. Actually, one of my advisors said it's it's, it's, these are they are worse. They're worse than the former communist leader we had because this government doesn't give a fuck.
Maya Parbhoe
They just steal with envy. You know that their ceiling you can see like there's.
Mike Peterson
So they hide it?
Maya Parbhoe
No, it's one scandal after the other constantly. It's like every week, there's a new scandal about something that they're doing that is completely just just unimaginable. And we've reached a boiling point last year where they actually stormed Parliament set it on fire. So the population is tight.
Mike Peterson
Which was unusual that's not something that's normal.
Maya Parbhoe
That is very unusual for.
Mike Peterson
You guys aren't like the French that are protests.
Maya Parbhoe
No, I mean, we could actually take a deep take an example from the French or the Dutch actually like the Dutch Lucia, they lose a soccer game and they said cars on fire. We have a river very, how do you say passive population, right? They look to leaders to fix their problems.
Mike Peterson
That's what allows crimes. I've seen the populations that are most passive tend to have the most corrupt leaders because they don't want to say anything, and they don't.
Maya Parbhoe
They just hope that things are gonna get better and they just hope that the leader is is actually telling them the truth and is actually working on change, but he isn't. They have no plan, they've never had a plan. None of these political parties have ever had a plan. So if, and the one of the main problems also is is that none of them are really educated, right? And if you if they had self educated or if they had, you know, experience but none of them do.
Maya Parbhoe
They they literally have have no, they don't have the skills, the qualifications, nothing to be in the position that they're in. So they can't even judge whether something is right or wrong and so you have one scandal after the other like a hydrogen project. The first act that this President did, when he came into office was change the bylaws of the state oil refinery. Our national treasurer, change it so that he could put his wife on the board, right? And that is just to me, it was just mind blowing. But that was a signal to the entire financial and private sector, that this government is going to be just as good because he's that's nepotism.
Mike Peterson
When and how long are the terms?
Maya Parbhoe
Five years.
Mike Peterson
Five years? Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
Five years.
Mike Peterson
So when,When is when when is the election?
Maya Parbhoe
May next year, maybe next year? Yeah. So I have a year. And I'm not because I'm not I'm not a politician, right. I'm not doing this to gain something out of it. I already told them that my salary they can just do donate, I don't care. I don't need it, right? I don't need this position. The only reason I'm actually pursuing it or agreed to pursue it is because I know I have the backing. I have people with integrity. I have people that want change, there are people in the private sector that one change, there is enough. Good still left, so that we can actually affect change.
Maya Parbhoe
And also because I know you know, just looking at El Salvador for the last three years looking at what Bukele has done the moment I heard it, I flew here, and I started lobbying for hey, guys, how do I get adopting Bitcoin there? I need you guys, there. It is, you can see the change here, you can see what he's done.
Mike Peterson
Well, the last three years I'm sure you've seen.
Maya Parbhoe
It's, it's insane. Just coming here in 2021 and being here again now and seeing the difference, it's crazy. No other country were in on this continent would have ever been able to.
Mike Peterson
Everybody would have said it was impossible.
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly. Everybody says, everybody says it's impossible. But he did it. He did it. And he like, what he did, what he had to do here was harder than then what we're facing in Suriname, yeah right?
Mike Peterson
We had the things that basically controlled everything,
Maya Parbhoe
The murder capital of the world. And those numbers just vanished the moment he changed it. And he all he had to do was actively decide to want and change this country for the better. And he's making it a symbol for the rest of the world. And I think it's a shame that the rest of the world doesn't or not every country in the rest of the world sees it yet. But from I particularly noticed this, when I speak to people in Europe, or from the States, they don't perceive how life in Latin America really is, or how different it is from Europe.
Maya Parbhoe
And that the things that they have there that they just take for granted, we don't have. So, I look at El Salvador and I see hope I see a future. And the moment I saw that, you know, Bukele is doing it and he can actually you can actually do it, you can fight global powers. And do what's best for your country, you can have Bitcoin as legal tender. I, my goal is to replace SRD with Satoshi's. Just scrap it, like multiple governments have done it previously, with a central bank, they scrapped zero. They've changed the the currency three times already.
Maya Parbhoe
There is no reason why we couldn't substitute SRD with sets. And I see that as a way to build a new system because I don't. Actually I want to be in charge for as long as is necessary to make myself redundant.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Mike Peterson
Work yourself out of a job.
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly. I'd like to see a future where everything that is, can be privatized, such as healthcare, education, transportation, infrastructure. Things that should not be within the grip of government should be independent, shouldn't be privatized.
Maya Parbhoe
There is a lot in government that can be automated, we have 68,000 people that work for government, out of 140,000 working population. So almost half works for government, just imagine what that does to an economy. So we need to diversify the economy, create other other sources of income, other create other jobs. And I see technology playing a major part in that. And I see Bitcoin as the the de facto currency of the internet. And the de facto infrastructure on which the open source and free internet will be developed over the next couple of decades.
Maya Parbhoe
So I think we as a country can, you know, strategically place ourselves to be similar to El Salvador. A global leader, and create a united front in Latin America, because something I also feel very strongly about. If you look at the US, for example, historically, right? When did most of the development in the US happen after the railways? The railways connected the states create a trade in between the states. We in Latin America are like little islands, constantly battling or trading with our former colonizers or with the US. But how much do we actively trade with each other, right? How much are we supporting each other, each other's economies? And if you look at mainstream media or global news, how often do you hear the positive things of Latin America? How often do you see Latin America in the media?
Maya Parbhoe
You know, if you look it.
Mike Peterson
Outside of football games very rarely.
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly. Outside of World Cup Brazil is famous for that. But other than that it's mainly high highlighting the most negative things about our continent. And we have zero voice in global issues there staving off to World War III. With and you know, it's not on our continent, but it does impact us as previous world wars have the impact the global economy and we do not get a say in that at all. I, to me, it's mind blowing still but we are like the Forgotten continents Africa and Latin America. You know, the whole world, it seems like the entire conversation is just between the West, just between the US and Europe.
Maya Parbhoe
And we're basically just left out there out of the conversation. I think it's time for, for you, for the continent to form, you know, a united front, support each other, encourage trade in between countries. Create the infrastructure necessary to facilitate trade in between countries, building up each other's economies instead of constantly funneling money to the US funneling money to Europe. Because honestly, it's the Google's the Facebook's, the Amazons that make massive amounts of profits off of our populations. And China, for example, making massive amounts of profits off of our populations. And we're like these tiny little islands giving everything away.
Maya Parbhoe
Like we're still a colony.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
So I see an opportunity for for us to look towards the future. And actually think about okay, how, how are we going to develop together? How are we going to work towards a future where, you know, I'd be proud to have my kids grow up in? And I think Bitcoin is essential to that because Bitcoin is, you know, you have the meme where Satoshi kisses in it. And you know, the whole world changes, it is like a virus, but it's, it's like a positive virus that infects you.
Mike Peterson
And we've seen it here in El Salvador, despite what the media says and it's a failure, you see it. It affects people in secondary and tertiary ways, even if they when they don't know it's affecting them like.
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah It brings out that it gives people the freedom to. And it's crazy to say this, but it gives people the freedom to be creative, and, and love and just get out of that mindset where you're constantly in survival mode constantly, like working to live instead of it just gives you that low time preference. And that that feeling of you know, I'm gonna just live and focus on living, I want kids I want to focus on love. I was speaking to someone yesterday, who, who in three years grew a company, Bitcoin life here. And he's writing poetry and I read the poetry and I'm like, oh, my God, this is so inspiring.
Maya Parbhoe
You know, it is, it is unlike what you see in in, in mainstream media being portrayed, right? Because they're against the narrative that that book is pushing but.
Mike Peterson
They're afraid of them.
Maya Parbhoe
And yes, they're afraid of him, because he is the start of something that they cannot stop. And it is the start of the destruction of their monetary system, right. This is the end of Fiat debasement is the end of printing. It's, it's basically once every government realizes what he's done here and how it is working, and how it's actually going to play out. It's unstoppable.
Maya Parbhoe
And I think that is a fear to the powers that be. I mean, you can see the US crumbling, like the Roman Empire, it's hard to watch. But basically, that will be the end of the US Dollar as the global reserve currency. And once other countries realize that and start adding Bitcoin to their treasuries, even if that's the minimum that they do. That is when the dynamic changes and that's what he started and created.
Mike Peterson
So, for you what is the next year look like? Have you aligned with a particular political party? Are you creating your own party or what's the, what's the brass tacks process?
Maya Parbhoe
Well, I've actually been advised to join one of the older parties. lthough I feel like that would be perpetuating old politics and maintaining the status quo. So I've actually aligned with people that I know that are fighting for the country. My running mate he saved 500,000 hectares from being sold privately very illegally by the government to Mennonites and that was preserved Amazon rainforest. So, completely insane.
Maya Parbhoe
But people like that. People that have been fighting for the country. Technocrats, nationalists, people that have a love for a country. They don't need the yeah, what is it now 8000 SRD or 10,000 SRD is about $300 salary, that that position will pay them, that is not what they're doing it for. They want change and it's not just them. It we've had a massive amount of brain drain in the last three years. So there are a lot of tsunamis that left, not because they want to leave the country because the situation, you just lost opportunity you earn between 175, 300 dollars a month, you cannot build a life with that.
Maya Parbhoe
So they've left, and all these people want to go back, right? They want to go back home but they've lost hope. And that is I think one of the main problems that we have in the country because hope. Hope creates prosperity, right? If the people believe if people have hope, if they know that there's a better future for them, then they will come back then they will.
Mike Peterson
You've seen that here and El Salvador. I mean, it used to be people wouldn't continue with their education, because they were just planning on leaving illegally to the US anyways, and it wouldn't matter. And they didn't really invest in their community because they were planning on leaving. Now we're seeing two things happen. One, people plan on staying, so they're investing in the community infrastructure, participating in the things that benefit the community as a whole. They're more likely to go on to continuing education.
Mike Peterson
But we're also seeing Salvadorans return from the US those who have done well, and businesses and feel like there's more opportunity here now than there is in the US. And they're bringing back resources and, you know, technical skills with them. And so I could definitely see the same thing playing out, especially since you were explaining how many people from Suriname are currently living in the Netherlands.
Maya Parbhoe
And you know, one of the main issues in Suriname is actually like, even for development for people that want to come back want to invest. When they come back there, they face so much issues with government. And the main problem with government for foreign investment is what's in it for me? How much percentage am I going to get or how much are you going to pay me for you to achieve that? And if you don't, then they don't allow it.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
So they.
Mike Peterson
You're disgust to the bottom of the pile?
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly. They blocked billions of dollars in development and investment. Just because they can get a couple of 100k.
Mike Peterson
And that like, then the investors you do have coming in are the ones that are willing to do the bribe, and the honest ones are kept out.
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly. And even the ones that are willing to bribe eventually, you know, as particularly if it's a government project, it always goes to shit. It's never successful there, you can literally not name one successful project that government has ever done with any foreign investor. So they kill it anyway and they do that for you know, sometimes it's 20k or 30k. It's, It's laughable that they sell our country, prevent economic development, end prosperity for its people.
Maya Parbhoe
Simply because of and it's this, I mean, I don't even want to call it greed because the amount that you're. I mean, if I heard that someone was putting, you know, like a bill a couple of billions of dollars or something, then I'd be like, okay, he's, he's greedy, right? That is greed, but for 20k 30k and then they spend it on some stupid car or boat or Jetski and then it's gone.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
And then you prevent billions or hundreds of millions of dollars in investment just for that tiny, tiny little bribe. So yeah, I'm, I got teary eyed when you're talking about hope here, because it is inspiring and it does give me hope. And I am happy that, you know, we did the, we actually recorded the podcast where I told the announcement, or did the announcement over a month ago and it just was just released. And the reception has been amazing. It's, it's gone viral in the country. And one of the main like key takeaways I see or have received from my team is that most of the comments and as well as as what I've seen is that I give people hope again.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
And I think that is that is something that, that they need. But I think that, you know, aside from hope. I think they know that my heart is in the right place.
Mike Peterson
So are you creating your own new party or?
Maya Parbhoe
New political party? Yeah.
Mike Peterson
What's, what's the name of the party?
Maya Parbhoe
National. Well, in English National Libertarian Party.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
Libertarian Party.
Mike Peterson
Okay, nice. So, what is this next year look like for you?
Maya Parbhoe
Well, I want to be different than most political parties.
Mike Peterson
And just for the set the scene, how many? How many presidential candidates will be in a selection? Do you know?
Maya Parbhoe
Well, there will be primarily two parties, the two largest parties battling it out. So there are two other candidates that, you know, might have a shot if there is no alternative because that is the main problem there. There is no non there was before me, no real alternative. It was all these old politicians and these two main parties, and they usually.
Mike Peterson
Go back and forth, which is how it was in El Salvador before and even myself. I thought there's no way a third party could win. But now he came in and dominated that year, his first year, you know.
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah.
Mike Peterson
So definitely, he's, he's shown that there's a path that.
Maya Parbhoe
I have to follow in his footsteps. And I, for the next year, I'll be focused on one of the main issues I want to tackle is housing. And we don't want to wait like most political parties, what they do is, is the one that is, you know, currently governing, will be trying to execute as much projects as they can, before times. Time runs out.
Mike Peterson
They always throw a bunch of money at everything before they elect.
Maya Parbhoe
Exactly, but then they don't have much money. So the what they got from IMF, that they they will be deploying.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
Other than that, the other political parties will be trying to buy votes by either promising jobs in government or giving people food packages or you know, like 50 to $100. Yeah, very small amounts that to buy their votes. I want to give them a preview of what is to come. I want to actively engage and work on, you know, structurally improving certain sectors.
Maya Parbhoe
And we have a focus, for example, on on the orphanages, a focus on elderly care, focus on education, and for education, for example, sample just adding on to existing education diversifying a little bit away into technology. So to give people an alternative.
Mike Peterson
Yeah.
Maya Parbhoe
So we want to focus on doing in the next year, and doing things differently than you know, any government in the past has. And just focusing on doing things, right.
Mike Peterson
Do you guys currently have any initiatives that you're working on that have integrated Bitcoin within them?
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah, we started actually, we started with the first SAS program. We do have, like a Bitcoin Education Center that recently, I think about two months ago, that we started using. And basically in that education center, we have a soccer academy and he has about 18.
Mike Peterson
Do you guys call it soccer or football?
Maya Parbhoe
Football.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah.
Mike Peterson
Well, I just seemed everywhere else in the world they call it that, but I think it was like somebody told me in an Ireland or something they call it soccer also, so.
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah, football. And this, this academy, he has around 800 kids from near all neighborhoods around the city, mostly underprivileged. So kids, that would usually either be hanging out on the street or wouldn't have, you know, anything to do in their past time. And giving them an opportunity to professionally play play soccer and grow up in this soccer academy for a possibility at a professional career.
Maya Parbhoe
And I've actually connected him too fatty because he wants to have you know, contributions, everything done in Bitcoin. And then save a portion of that Bitcoin of their, you know, of that contribution. Save it for the community in Bitcoin so that they can start to start to learn and start saving, and we want to do something so we have in terms of education for them as well because not all of them are going to have a pro soccer career, but it would be good for them to have skill to fall back on and also just knowledge. And teaching them what you know, morals, values and discipline. So for the educational part, were really working with mi premiere.
Maya Parbhoe
And we've been in conversations with Felix to use their color curriculum and teach that to the kids. But also, we want to do something similar to QALA, to QALA, QALA.
Mike Peterson
Not familiar with that.
Maya Parbhoe
In Africa, it's lightning, okay, education, so, so lightning development education, so teaching them technical skills. So that it doesn't require, you know, like a three year or four year timeframe to learn that skill, but it is something that can benefit them for the rest of their lives. And most of these kids do not have opportunities after 17.
Maya Parbhoe
So then they, they have an opportunity to, you know, learn a skill that can benefit them in in something that will change the world. And to be an active part of it without actually needing needing to be for you know, for example, in the US or in the Netherlands, or go study abroad. They can work remote, and they can have that opportunity in Suriname. So that is something that we're implementing right now.
Mike Peterson
Awesome. Well, how can people support that or support your campaign? How can they follow you on Twitter, make sure we put out there and what we'll put in the show notes too but let people know here how they can follow you. And, and I don't know, in what ways, a lot of times people from outside can't get involved in local politics. But if there's different ways that people can help, they definitely want to see a bitcoin miner and presidency, you know, when possible, so.
Maya Parbhoe
We could definitely use the support, particularly for our social impact projects. You know, it's don't if you want to support don't, don't support the campaign support the people, right. And let me help you find out figure out how you can support the people who will be running some gasgeyser campaigns because we want it to be fully transparent and open and that you can see. You know, what you're actually helping or how you're actually helping. I'd like to see a change in instead of having, you know, backdoor meetings and everything be so opaque. I'd see like, like to see a shift towards more transparency. So follow me on Twitter, we'll be sharing more.
Maya Parbhoe
What's your Twitter handle?
Maya Parbhoe
MayaPar25. So, M a y a P a r 25.
Mike Peterson
Perfect. I'll make sure you're following Maya.
Maya Parbhoe
Yes. Thank you, Mike.
Mike Peterson
Yeah, no, it's it's exciting to hear about these things. And how hard is it to get down to Suriname you connect through Brazil or what's the?
Maya Parbhoe
Cool about actually flies directly from Panama, acouple of.
Mike Peterson
Really?
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah, a couple of flights a week.
Mike Peterson
Okay.
Maya Parbhoe
So you can hop on a flight through Panama and end up in Suriname. There's regular flights from Miami, and regular flights from Amsterdam. So if you're coming from Europe, you fly through Amsterdam, if you're coming from the US, Miami, and if you're coming from that, Panama.
Mike Peterson
Okay. Well, maybe we'll have to make it down there and dark things out. When's the election?
Maya Parbhoe
May next year.
Mike Peterson
May next year?
Maya Parbhoe
Yeah. But I hope you come earlier. You could use the help down there.
Mike Peterson
All right.
Mike Peterson
Well, I appreciate you joining us for the having party here in El Salvador. And it's it's exciting to see, you know, just the the changes that are happening here in El Salvador, inspiring things in other parts of the world.
Maya Parbhoe
No, it really and I'd love to see, you know, people from the community, come down, come down to help. I mean, there's enough opportunity, you can see, you know, basically what happened here in El Salvador. Exactly, those opportunities await you in Suriname, so I'd love to get more help get more Bitcoin maxis down there to help build.
Mike Peterson
And especially people from the Netherlands that speak the language that could I'm thinking for me. I might not pay much help down there but for people that speak the language, and.
Maya Parbhoe
English is fine, too.
Mike Peterson
This is okay. Okay. Okay. I guess I'm here and my Spanish is not that great. All right. Well, we will maybe next time, we will talk and won't be down there and certainly.
Maya Parbhoe
Awesome.
Mike Peterson
And if not, next time you're back through here. We'd love to have you on again and get an update on the campaign or maybe have become announced how you won the presidency, so.
Maya Parbhoe
Definitely.
Mike Peterson
All right. Thanks Maya.
Maya Parbhoe
Thank you, Mike.