Minister confirms Netherlands will apologize for slavery past

Minister Franc Weerwind (Legal Protection) confirmed that the Cabinet would apologize for the Netherlands' history of slavery. The Minister thinks it is “a great moment and a beautiful moment” that the Cabinet is finally going to do this. Whether it should happen in Suriname or by the King, he leaves open.

It is the first official confirmation from the Cabinet that it would make an apology. Where the Cabinet will apologize and who will express the apology will be discussed in the Council of Ministers on Friday, according to Weerwind. “We are now entering the Council of Ministers. I am sure that the Council of Ministers will make wise decisions about that.” The Minister emphasized that these are important decisions. “When you say that you have a shared past, you can also open the page for a shared future. You do that together, and you do that by making this statement.”

Suriname is pleased with the planned apology, but it must not come from The Hague, said Armand Zuinder of the National Reparation Committee Suriname to NOS. “This case is way too sensitive. It should be offered in Suriname. On the Independence Square, by the King, by Mr. Rutte, and maybe the president of the Tweede Kamer can also be present. To apologize on behalf of the Dutch government and the Dutch people for the horrible slavery past.”

According to Rabin Baldewsing, the National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism, apologies for the Netherlands’ history of slavery only make sense if King Willem-Alexander is the one to make them. “It makes a big difference whether the Cabinet or the government makes an apology,” he said on NPO Radio 1 on Friday.

The value of the apology is relative if only Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologizes because “Cabinets com and Cabinets go,” according to Baldewsingh. “As head of state, the King represents everyone in the Netherlands. It is an important gesture that the apology does not come on behalf of the government, so a few ministers, but on behalf of everyone in this country. Only then can we as a country start healing.”

An apology was coming, and it is time for it, said Linda Nooitmeer, the chairman of the National Institute of Dutch Slavery History and Legacy (NiNsee). “It’s going too far to be overly euphoric about it. There have been multiple times when apologies could have been made, but it’s very good that it’s happening.”

According to Nooitmeer, the current zeitgeist is such that administrators look around, look at history, and realize that if they want to build the future of the country, this must be the first step. She listed seven moments where the Netherlands could have apologized, such as at the abolition of slavery in 1863. “Of course, it’s late, but let’s face it, it’s a necessary part of the process.”

Nooitmeer noticed discussions on social media about whether apologies are a good idea. She called it very painful that there is any discussion about it at all. “I would like people to try to empathize and look at the human value that hangs in giving apologies. I hope that through that angle, the fierce battle between supporters and opponents fades into the background. You are talking about human rights that have been violated, people who have been enslaved, taken from their environment, to work against their will under appalling conditions for over 250 years on plantations in Suriname and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Can we find the humanity in ourselves to make those apologies?”

Nederland Wordt Beter, an action group led by Jerry Afriyie, called the imminent apology a nice development “that will contribute to more attention and recognition for our shared past.”