Sigrid Kaag will travel to Suriname for the forthcoming apology for slavery on December 19. By sending another minister before the expression of regret, the cabinet gives in to the criticism and demands of all kinds of interest groups.
A spokesman for Kaag’s Ministry of Finance told D e Telegraph reported that Kaag will make the trip to Suriname sometime next week. According to the spokesman, she has a conversation with the Surinamese government and ‘social organizations’, prior to the apologies for slavery that the cabinet is expected to make on December 19. Prime Minister Mark Rutte does that in the Netherlands and a selection of ministers would fly out to the former colonies.
Franc Weatherwind
Kaag’s trip is intended to smooth out the folds after the criticism of the ‘excuse exodus’ from all kinds of interest groups. For example, they did not like the fact that Minister Franc Weerwind (Legal Protection) would travel to Suriname, because of his own Surinamese roots. A ‘white person’ had to apologize, demanded Johan Roozer of the Surinamese National Slavery Commemoration Committee on Thursday after a consultation in the Catshuis with, among others, Rutte.
Although Weerwind will still travel to Suriname for what has since come to be called the ‘significant moment’ on December 19, the cabinet does respond to the criticism. In recent days, it has been heard around the cabinet that a minister, someone other than Weerwind, may have to travel to Suriname beforehand to smooth out all the wrinkles. The choice fell on Minister Kaag (Finance).
Kaag will go to Suriname in her capacity as first deputy prime minister. In that role, she will also lead a subsequent conversation on Tuesday about the apologies in the Catshuis. Rutte will then have a debate in the House of Representatives and will be in Brussels later in the week for a Euro Summit. It is unclear when the D66 forewoman will travel exactly, but it will in any case happen before December 19. Kaag himself also has a debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Package of requirements
There is further criticism of the impending apology. The date of December 19 is also not accepted, the organizations would rather see it happen on July 1, 150 years after the abolition of slavery.
In addition, a group of interest groups and the Prime Minister of Aruba put forward a package of demands with conditions that must be met before the apologies are accepted. They ask, among other things, for the debts of the old colonies to be canceled, reparations, criminalization for the use of the word ‘negro’ and an end to Zwarte Piet.