THE HAGUE - The Dutch cabinet does not want to lay down the apologies for the slavery past in a law. Today Mark Rutte debated with the Dutch House of Representatives about the slavery apology. According to the Dutch prime minister, this would give the social discussion a legal guise, and he does not want that.
The Advisory Board Dialogue Group Slavery Past recommended such a law, as did National Coordinator against Racism and Discrimination Rabin Baldewsingh and part of the House of Representatives.
Rutte says that the cabinet has offered verbal apologies to the descendants of enslaved people from a moral-ethical conviction. He fears that legal entrenchment “might delay and obscure the purpose of the apology, which is to express regret for the historic suffering at the hand of the government and a stepping stone to reconciliation.”
Moreover, according to the prime minister, the Netherlands has no tradition of such laws. There will be a statutory anchoring of the recovery fund, which the cabinet has also announced. He acknowledges that this choice is 'also a matter of taste'.
According to Sylvana Simons of BIJ1, slavery was part of the policy of the national government at the time, also legally. "I hope he understands very well that the descendants need a guarantee that the next prime minister will not say: I have no memory of that." Rutte then said that laws can also be amended again.
Rutte is open to the suggestion of Salima Belhaj of D66 to explicitly refer to the apologies in the law about the announced slavery fund. The prime minister thinks that is an "interesting thought" and will see if and how this could be arranged.
Parties in the House of Representatives have complimented Prime Minister Mark Rutte for his apologies for the slavery past. DENK, PvdA and D66 spoke of a 'historic' moment. The parties did ask the cabinet, just like the SP and BIJ1, about the plans the cabinet has for the coming period.
Not everyone agrees with Rutte's words that the slavery past has an effect on the present. Some MPs believe that the cabinet should clarify what exactly that link between the present and the past is.
The fact that the cabinet has apologized on behalf of the government can count on broad support from the coalition parties, the left-wing opposition and, for example, the BBB. The PVV and Belang van Nederland do not agree.