The star on center of the flag reflects the sacrifices endured for the Surinamese independence as well as the unity of the country and a bright future.

The bright yellow star in the center symbolizes the people that migrated to Suriname including America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe.

[6] The boat on the left side represent the history of slavery in Suriname and the people that were shipped from Africa.

There was talk of a design for a colony flag with the Dutch tricolor with the coat of arms of Suriname in the white area, but in practice this was not used.

[12] After the signing of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 15 December 1954, the need arose for Suriname's own official flag, coat of arms and anthem.

The coloured stars represented the major ethnic groups that comprise the Surinamese population, being black (Africans), brown (Asian Indians), yellow (Javanese and Chinese), red (Amerindians), and white (Europeans).

However, the flag was criticized by the wider public for putting too much emphasis on the ethnic differences and therefore symbolizing less of the national unity of the Surinamese people.