Suriname’s main opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) says it will not accept the invitation to attend the presentation of the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte about slavery.
In a letter sent to the Dutch ambassador, Henk van der Zwan, the NDP leader in Parliament said “in order to arrive at reconciliation and reparation with regard to slavery and indentured labour practiced in Suriname, agreements can only be made in a bilateral process with all actors involved. Unfortunately, so far, the Dutch government unilaterally determines what actions and when they will take place.”
Prime Minister Rutte is due to make the presentation via live stream.
The NDP, which is led by former president Desi Bouterse, said it also believes the response by Prime Minister Rutte on behalf of the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has been approached too one-sided.
It said there has been no consultation with stakeholders and in the Netherlands, while the consultation with the Surinamese government and the parliament, among other things, including the entire process to arrive at a public response from the Dutch government, has not borne fruit.
The NDP believes the approach of apologizing for the slavery on December 19 instead of July 1, 2023, will most likely be misunderstood by the descendants of those who had been enslaved and other civil society organizations in Suriname and the Netherlands.
It said the date is only a symptom of the fact that the Netherlands apparently believes it can decide unilaterally what to do about the history of slavery in Suriname.
“In addition, the perpetrator cannot unilaterally determine what the repair program entails without consulting the victims, the faction emphasizes. Perpetrators can apologize, ask for forgiveness and possibly agree on compensation. Only in close consultation and with the approval of victims, the whole process and the repair program can be discussed. It cannot be done unilaterally, the letter noted.
“For our part, we will support and continue the processes set up in Suriname to achieve recognition and reparation. It is also important that we enter into an organized national dialogue with the descendants of the enslaved, the Indigenous and all social groups that have contributed and wish to contribute in this context, in order to arrive at an appropriate recovery program in material and immaterial terms,” the NDP added.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Grassroots Afro Surinamers Sunday staged a protest at the statue of Kwaku saying apologies offered by the Netherlands will not be accepted.
The organization wants compensation of 400,000 Euros (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) per descendant of transatlantic slavery for people living in Suriname, the Netherlands or elsewhere. It also wants an advance of 50,000 Euros per descendant must already be given, tax-free and without any conditions.
Another demand is that the Dutch government pay for genealogical research of the descendants of enslaved people.
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