PHILIPSBURG - If Prime Minister Rutte apologizes for the slavery past on behalf of the cabinet on Monday, the government of Sint Maarten will not accept it. “We have made it clear that we will not accept an apology until our advisory committee has consulted about it and we have had a discussion as a country,” said Prime Minister Jacobs.
Earlier this week, Jacobs asked Rutte for an explanation by letter. What Rutte is going to say in his "meaningful statement" on Monday will remain “shrouded in mystery” until it is pronounced - at 3 p.m. Dutch time. According to unconfirmed reports, he will then apologize. The court in The Hague on Thursday rejected the objections of Surinamese organizations that oppose the December 19 date.
In Caribbean and Surinamese circles, people prefer to see apologies pronounced on July 1 by King Willem-Alexander.