News item | 5/17/2023 | 7:50 pm
A large number of Surinamese Dutchmen who came to the Netherlands prior to independence in 1975 are entitled to a one-off amount of €5,000. The cabinet proposes this in a letter to the House. With this, the cabinet wants to make a gesture of recognition for the suffering and injustice experienced by this group.
This group had the expectation that their years in Suriname counted towards the state pension accrual, since Suriname was then still part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, this turned out not to be the case, as a result of which they received a lower state pension. It has now become apparent that compensation for the lower AOW is not possible. The cabinet would like to make a gesture towards this group. With regard to the conditions under which people are eligible for this amount, the government is following the advice of the Sylvester committee as much as possible. The proposal will first be discussed with the House of Representatives, after which the Council of State will be asked for advice and this will be shared with the House of Representatives.
Minister Carola Schouten for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions: “The conversations with the elderly from the Surinamese community have left a deep impression. They feel like second-class citizens, while they came to the Netherlands precisely because they wanted to remain Dutch. They have been calling attention to their situation for a long time, and it has taken them a long time to be heard. I am grateful to the Sylvester Committee for articulating the personal stories and for their insights into how justice can be done to this. With this gesture we hope to acknowledge the suffering.”
Receipt amount automatically
In the cabinet’s proposal, people who started living in the Netherlands no later than November 25, 1975, who previously lived in Suriname, who were 18 years or older at the time and who have lived in the Netherlands for at least 25 years are eligible for the amount. When the decision enters into force, the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) will inform everyone who, according to its administration, meets the conditions. They receive the amount automatically. Older people of whom the SVB cannot determine that they meet the conditions can contact the SVB themselves for an application form. The amount to be received has no negative consequences for receiving benefits or other income schemes such as the supplementary income provision for the elderly (AIO).
For the size of the amount, the cabinet agrees with previous voluntary concessions and gestures, such as the allowance for the soldiers of Dutchbat III, transgender people who had to sterilize themselves under the old transgender law or victims of violence in youth care. In the spring memorandum, the cabinet has already reserved 122 million euros for the gesture towards the elderly of Surinamese origin.