Tepid response from the Caribbean as Netherlands mulls slavery apology

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) —On Monday, the Netherlands is expected to become one of the few nations to apologise for its role in slavery.

However, in Suriname, activists and officials say they have not been asked for input about the apology, and that's a reflection of a Dutch colonial attitude.

What's really needed, they say, is compensation.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte plans to speak in the Netherlands as members of his Cabinet give speeches in seven former Caribbean colonies, including Suriname.

Dutch colonisers kidnapped men, women and children and enslaved them on plantations growing sugar, coffee and other goods that built wealth at the price of misery.

Symbolism around crimes against humanity is controversial everywhere, and debates over Monday's ceremonies are roiling Suriname and other Caribbean countries.

In 2013, the Caribbean trade bloc, known as CARICOM, made a list of requests including that European governments formally apologise and create a repatriation programme for those who wish to return to their homeland, which has not happened.

“We are still feeling the effects of that period, so some financial support would be welcome,” said Orlando Daniel, a 46-year-old security guard and a descendant of slaves.

Politicians and civil-society organisations in Suriname say that July 1, 2023 would be a more appropriate date for the apology ceremony because it marks 160 years since the abolition of slavery in the country.

“Why the rush?” asked Barryl Biekman, chair of the Netherlands-based National Platform for Slavery Past.

Activists in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St Maarten have rejected the anticipated apology and demanded reparations, too.

If, as expected, the government issues a formal apology on Monday, it will put the Netherlands, which has a long history of progressive thinking and liberal laws, in the vanguard of nations and global institutions seeking to atone for their roles in historical horrors.

In 2018, Denmark apologised to Ghana, which it colonised from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. In June, King Philippe of Belgium expressed “deepest regrets” for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologised for the church's role in slavery.

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