Dutch apology rings hollow to Indonesian ears

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte addresses a speech on the Netherlands' involvement in slavery, in the National Archives in The Hague, on Dec. 19, 2022. - AFP

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Indonesia has responded tepidly to a speech made by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologising for 250 years of slavery in the country’s former colonies, saying the country needs to do more than simply offer a mea culpa for its role.

In a 20-minute speech on Monday (Dec 22), Rutte apologised to the country’s former colonies, particularly seven Caribbean states: Suriname, Curaçao, St Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius. Calling the Dutch slave trade an unimaginable “criminal system [...] so inhuman and unjust”, Rutte announced a fund for social initiatives in Curaçao, St Maarten, Aruba and Suriname.