“I’m sorry today. I wonder how I did this. Tide mi wani taki af.” Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte said these three sentences exactly one year ago at the National Archives in The Hague. He apologized for the role the Dutch state played in slavery. Following the apology, the government allocated a €200 million fund for “awareness, engagement and follow-up activities.”
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are some measures on the table. Starting next year, anyone whose surname is related to slavery will be able to change their surname free of charge. Changing the surname still costs at least 835 euros and is only possible under strict conditions. Following the apology, the rehabilitation of Curaçao hero Tula, who led the slave revolt, also took place. And on January 31 there will be another Catshuis meeting with relevant people and Rutte.
But there have been concerns among community stakeholders since the November election results. They fear that as right-wing parties increase their seats in the House of Representatives, the public debate about slavery will again become secondary.
Gilberto Morishaw, president of the Advisory Council of the Caribbean Netherlands (OCaN), says there was a consensus in the outgoing cabinet that “something needs to be done”. He points out that more money is available to research the effects of slavery, for example. “But I also see that various groups in society do not respond positively to apology and anti-racism, and this concerns me. “We are afraid that support for the work we started will decrease.”
Among other things, Morishaw points out a problem with the National Coordinator Against Discrimination and Racism. Since 2021, this post has been held by former Hague city councilor Rabin Baldewsingh. Just last week Baldewsingh announced a comprehensive program of 29 agreements reached with the Cabinet.
The package discussed taking slavery into greater consideration in education and establishing a committee to decide whether July 1 would be declared a national holiday and day of remembrance. However, if PVV had its way, the coordinator would have to “look for another job.” Speaking on Volkskrant last week, Baldewsingh said he was concerned about the growth of right-wing parties: “Many of our hard-earned gains have suddenly come under pressure,” he said.
PVV apologized to the state
Dagmar Oudshoorn, former chair of the Advisory Council Dialogue Group on the History of Slavery, also acknowledges that steps have been taken since last year. But according to him, there is still much to be done in the field of recovery: “I’m talking about eliminating the residue left by slavery.” This includes, for example, tackling inequality in the labor market. Oudshoorn fears that this debate will come to a halt in the new political environment.
Along with Prime Minister Rutte, the king also apologized for the history of slavery last year. The Dutch Foundation for the National Monument to the History of Slavery wants these apologies to be included in Dutch law and submitted a request to that effect in October. Oudshoorn describes it as “worrying” that the country’s largest party now wants to retract the Dutch state’s apology.
Both he and Morishaw acknowledge that there is still no agreement on such issues at the Hague. Still, they are worried because issues that were agreed upon are now being put back on the table. “It is unwise to reverse the steps taken,” says Oudshoorn. “But we live in the country of the polders. “I hope future coalition partners will consider this issue carefully.”
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
