Government of Sint Maarten
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
If the cabinet apologizes on Monday for the Netherlands’ past slavery, Sint Maarten will not accept it. “We have made it clear that we will not accept an apology until our advisory board has consulted on this and we have had a discussion as a country,” Prime Minister Jacobs said.
Jacobs also wants a response to a letter of questions he sent to The Hague earlier this week, he told parliament Wednesday. The CEO was the first to report on this this morning.
Sources in The Hague leaked in November that the cabinet will apologize for its past slavery on Monday. Cabinet members travel to Suriname and the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom for this purpose. Prime Minister Rutte speaks at the National Archives in The Hague.
Divided reactions
Reactions to the proposal vary. President Santokhi of Suriname said yesterday that he regrets being informed late about the possible apology. He also said that all groups involved should feel heard. The latter is not the case.
The Hague Tribunal rejected on Thursday the objections of six Surinamese organizations that oppose the December 19 date. Now they are asking the people of Suriname not to accept an apology. They and other interest and action groups would prefer to see an apology offered by the King on July 1, 2023. Then it will be 160 years since slavery was abolished in the Kingdom.
Some of the people involved are angry that they weren’t consulted beforehand. There are also criticisms among Dutch people of Indonesian descent that the apology is too focused on Suriname and the Caribbean.
shrouded in fog
The cabinet has not confirmed it will apologize on Monday. “We’ll keep it shrouded in mystery until Monday,” Rutte said yesterday. Minister Kaag, visiting Suriname, said Monday will be an important day, just like July 1 next year, when the abolition of slavery is commemorated.
On behalf of the cabinet, VWS Minister Kuipers will be in Sint Maarten on Monday.
