THE HAGUE - The text of the "meaningful" statement that Prime Minister Rutte will issue on December 19 with regard to the Dutch slavery past has not yet been determined. Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Bruins Slot wrote this to the Dutch House of Representatives today, also on behalf of State Secretary Van Huffelen.
In response to angry reactions from Caribbean, but especially Surinamese circles about the cabinet's approach towards apologizing, the House Committee for the Interior has asked the ministers for an explanation.
“First of all, it is regrettable that incomplete information has come out recently about possible elements of the government's response to the advice of the slavery history dialogue group. This alone in connection with the fact that the repercussions of the talks held by the cabinet in preparation for the cabinet response, including the Catshuis sessions on December 8 and December 13, will be taken into account in the final cabinet response,” said Bruins Slot.
“In its response, the cabinet will fully address the recommendations of the dialogue group with regard to recognition, apologies and recovery. This subject has been discussed in several Councils of Ministers in recent months. Partly on that basis, I have made agreements with the relevant ministers about their involvement.”
The minister reports that next Friday's Council of Ministers will make a decision on the government's response to the Dialogue Group's recommendations. “The text that the Prime Minister will pronounce has not yet been determined. The cabinet will forward this text to the House and Senate on the day it is pronounced.”
Ministers will be present on December 19 on each of the six islands in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and in Suriname. Together with the local authorities and guests, they will follow Rutte's statement via a live stream, after which they will also address those present themselves. There is a lot of annoyance in the Chamber that Bruins Slot and Van Huffelen have not sufficiently directed the process.