ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius, Government has urged Dutch authorities to ensure this tiny island is included in the action of The Netherlands’ apology for its slavery past.
It also insisted that action must be “tailor-made” for the Dutch Caribbean island, which changed hands among major European powers 22 times.
Although welcoming the apology delivered by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague on Monday, 159 years after the Dutch abolished slavery, the St. Eustatius government said there must now be “meaningful and acceptable” change.
“Saying sorry means acknowledging that you have done me harm and will do better. So, how do you foster meaningful dialogue, how you repair the damage, how do you promote healing, how do you ensure that we as a people can breathe again?” said the government in a statement issued on Wednesday. “What happens next? How do we move forward together?”
“For us in St. Eustatius, we firmly request the Dutch Cabinet not to move too fast and do not move without us. History has taught us that decisions made for us must include us.
The government added: “It is true that we are one Kingdom, but our Kingdom is diverse, colorful, and complex. Therefore, the approach must be as diverse as the Kingdom is diverse. As we clarify our relationship with The Netherlands in the context of slavery past, St. Eustatius will require a tailor-made approach; by us, for us.”
It added that every voice must be heard in crafting this approach.
“…. The cheerleaders and those still pained and unhappy; the highly opinionated and those yet to form an opinion; those who are fully aware and the unaware. The people in culture and agriculture, education, the economic sector, politics, sports, and entertainment. Every Station voice is important to the process, and each one must carry weight,” the government insisted.
It pointed to Monday as another historic day in the Dutch Kingdom, “the beginning of a new chapter in our history if we are genuine in our approach.”
“We must therefore commit ourselves on both sides of the ocean that no matter how difficult the dialogue becomes, we will remain at the table. Let us make this response the beginning of a meaningful change in the relationship between Statia and the Netherlands,” it added.
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