Dutch slavery apologies not certain for 19 December; Rutte says date will be “meaningful”

The status of the Dutch State’s apologies for its past history of slavery seemed less certain after a discussion on Thursday between Cabinet members and representatives of different organizations who have called for apologies for years. In the two weeks since the Cabinet’s plans leaked out, it has been repeatedly met with criticism from the groups representing the descendants of enslaved people, the Caribbean portion of the Netherlands, and Suriname.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte seemed set to speak in the Netherlands on 19 December to deliver an apology for the dark stain on Dutch history. Cabinet members were also to be sent to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, and Suriname to offer apologies in speeches on that same date. Rutte firmly said he did not think King Willem-Alexander should be involved in an apology.

However, in the days since plans leaked out on 25 November, a growing chorus of experts and advocacy groups argued that the Cabinet was moving too hastily and without consulting them. They also feel the 1 July is a more appropriate date for an apology, as it marks the 150th anniversary that slavery was conclusively abolished in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean. While Rutte thinks the king should remain independent from an apology as a unifying figure for the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands, others have said Willem-Alexander should offer an apology on behalf of the country as its official head of state.

Rutte met with several groups on Thursday at Catshuis, the official residence for the prime minister. Afterwards, he would only confirm that 19 December will be “a meaningful moment,” but would not confirm any details. He said that the leaked plan was really a collection of “snippets of information,” and that affected people should not have been put in that position to be confronted with bits and pieces in the media.

Johan Roozer attended Thursday’s meeting. As the head of Suriname’s national committee for the remembrance of slavery, he previously called on the Cabinet to make a U-turn with regard to the planned apology. Afterwards, he said he asked Rutte why there was a rush to deliver an apology on 19 December. He claimed that Rutte pointed to the changing political atmosphere in the Netherlands, and that putting off the decision could mean support for an apology will falter.

With provincial elections looming on 15 March, and parties opposed to apologies rising in the polls, Rutte fears the window may quickly close, Roozer said.

Mercedes Zandwijken also attended the meeting and said there was no clear date when the Netherlands will actually apologize. A long-time advocate of the need for conversation about slavery and amends, Zandwijken said that Rutte understood that the process leading up the apology needs to be a dialogue with input from people outside the Cabinet. “We’re going to work on that together now,” she told reporters.

Whatever happens on 19 December will remain “a moment,” Rutte said, and it will kick off “a whole process” leading up to 1 July, which will be a proper commemoration. "But even then it's not finished," Rutte said. “It will not be finished on 1 July, because it will only be finished when discrimination against the last person in the Netherlands on the basis of his or her skin color has stopped."

Roozer said he expected a Cabinet representative to visit Paramaribo to clearly explain the situation. He also expected Rutte’s government to accept input from others about how a final apology statement will be phrased. He told reporters that the country must unequivocally state that slavery was “a crime against humanity.” He also advocated for some form of “reparations program.”

Reparations for the surviving relatives of enslaved people has thus far seemed unlikely. The Cabinet is expected to announce that it will create a 200 million euro fund to finance projects that can educate the public and raise awareness on issues related to slavery, the colonial era, and discrimination. An additional 27 million euros is also expected to be made available to create a museum about slavery.

Roozer also repeated earlier criticism about the possibility that Franc Weerwind, the Minister for Legal Protection, would deliver the apology in Suriname. "He himself is a descendant of slaves. It must be done by a white man, as we say in Suriname. That is also spiritual. If the Cabinet does send Weerwind, we will not accept that," Roozer stated.

Aside from Rutte and Weerwind, the leaked plans stated that Asylum State Secretary Eric van der Burg will visit Aruba, Social Affairs Minister Karien van Gennip will speak in Bonaire, and State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen will be in Curacao. The finance state secretary, Marnix van Rij, will speak in Sint-Eustatius, while the state secretary for welfare, Maarten van Ooijen, addresses the people of Saba. Health Minister Ernst Kuipers will deliver his remarks in Sint Maarten.

The four large Dutch cities - Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht - have already apologized for their roles in slavery. De Nederlandsche Bank and ABN Amro also apologized.