This afternoon, Prime Minister Jetten apologized on behalf of the Dutch government for the treatment of the first generation of Moluccans who were brought to the Netherlands 75 years ago.
“I apologize today on behalf of the Dutch government for the callous and dishonorable dismissal as a soldier, for the inadequate shelter and housing, for not being seen and abandoned, for the unfulfilled longing for home, for the sadness and pain in so many Moluccan families.”
Because no real start was made on rehabilitation, the past and its consequences could continue to haunt us, says Jetten. “And later generations will carry that pain with them.”
The Prime Minister apologized in a speech at the inauguration of the National Moluccan Monument on the Lloydkade in Rotterdam. The monument is a tribute to the almost 13,000 Moluccans and their families who were brought to the Netherlands in 1951 after the Indonesian War of Independence and were treated poorly once in the Netherlands.
