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ANNOUNCEMENTS•
“An apology can never be one-sided,” Surinamese Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin said of the Dutch cabinet’s intention to apologize for its past slavery on December 19.
Ramdin calls the expression of an apology an important moment, but there must be a consultation with the country from which an apology is being asked.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag will travel to the Surinamese capital, Paramaribo, tomorrow. He will talk to the government and social organizations about the intention to make excuses. What exactly happens December 19th not at all certain.
Dissatisfaction with the approach
Yesterday the government and the parliament of Suriname met to discuss how the Netherlands wants to apologize for its past as slave owners. Ramdin: “The intention is that we handle the issue carefully and not take positions hastily. There must be a good social discussion. The various organizations must be listened to,” said the minister.
Suriname’s government and social organizations are dissatisfied with the Dutch cabinet’s approach. They feel they are not involved enough in designing the apology and are not happy with the proposed date of December 19th.
Five Surinamese foundations in the Netherlands have decided on one summary judgment against the toilet. They ask that no apology be made on December 19, but see July 1, 2023 – the date slavery was effectively abolished 150 years ago in Suriname and the Antilles – as the only correct date. While Kaag will try to iron out the kinks tomorrow in Suriname, the preliminary relief proceedings in The Hague are about that.
Advisory Committee recommendations
The demand for an apology has gotten louder in recent months. On July 1, 2021, the Advisory Board Dialogue Group Slavery History presented a report with several recommendations, including advice that the Dutch state should apologize for its past slavery.
NOS op 3 made this video last year about the meaning of apologizing for slavery
