Re: Dutch “Apology” for “Slavery Past”
Honorable Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs
Honorable Minister Rodolphe Samuel
Honorable Minister Ardwell Irion
Honorable Minister Anna Richardson
Honorable Minister Egbert Doran
Honorable Minister Omar Ottley
Hon. President of the Parliament of St. Martin (South):
We of the ONESXM Association have taken note of media reports indicating that the Dutch government will be sending a delegation to the island to “apologize” for the so-called “Slavery Past” of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The representatives of the Dutch government are expected to offer this “apology” here on St. Martin on December 19, 2022. The statement attributed to the Dutch government also points out that the “apology” will not be accompanied by any discussion of reparations.
Considering that for all the intents and purposes, this Dutch initiative is embedded within the context of the 160th anniversary next year of the so-called “Emancipation Declaration” of July 1, 1863, the planning and organization of which St. Martin has not been part of;
Considering that as far as we know, neither the issue of the evil system of slavery on our island and its lingering effects nor the question of Reparatory Justice have been debated on the floor of our Parliament or discussed by our Council of Ministers or the community at large;
Given the fact that the decolonization of St. Martin is not yet complete, whereas colonialism can be considered Slavery 2.0;
Considering the fact that several UN Resolutions, which the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a signatory to, have called for an end to colonialism and that, in spite of this, the Dutch state, as recently as 2022, voted against a UN Resolution calling for the eradication of racial discrimination worldwide;
Considering that in the middle of the pandemic, the Kingdom government imposed inhumane conditions like a 12.5% salary cut on people not yet recovered from a category 5-plus hurricane barely three years prior;
Furthermore, given the fact that the Dutch monarchy aided and abetted the atrocities of the evil system of slavery – funding and benefitting immensely from it – and that it was one of the last slaving nations to abolish slavery on its occupied territories;
Considering that the so-called “Emancipation Proclamation” was made in the name of the Dutch monarch at the time after the evil system of slavery had become unsustainable in 1863;
In view of all the foregoing, we the ONESXM Association strongly urge Parliament, the Council of Ministers, and other social, business, political, religious, and other government and civil society organizations on St. Martin not to accept any half-hearted, insincere “apology” on behalf of the people of St. Martin.
An “apology” with conditions is no apology at all. An “apology” that is not accompanied by reparatory justice, as understood in the terms set by the Reparations Commission of Caribbean Community CARICOM, is no apology at all. And an “apology” that does not come directly from the monarch (king) as the symbol of embodiment of the Dutch state is no apology at all.
We propose, instead, that independently of the initiatives of the Dutch government, our Parliament should schedule a series of debates on the issues of the evil system of slavery and its nefarious effects on modern-day St. Martin. We also strongly suggest that the Council of Ministers establish post-haste a Slavery and Reparations Commission to come up with a well-researched position for government to adopt.
As a people, we have finally reached a point where the egregious crime against our ancestors can no longer be refuted by the Dutch Kingdom. However, the acknowledgement is yet evolving, and we owe it to our ancestors to ensure that due process and true reparatory justice are served.
We strongly reject the imposition of a so-called “shared future” in the Kingdom, in which at no time, past or present, have we had any meaningful future. Besides, it is for the people of St. Martin to decide, based on their God-given right to self-determination, if they want a “future” in a kingdom that is not theirs, in a kingdom that enslaved their ancestors.
This is the reason why the One SXM Association has been calling for a new constitutional referendum – with a Yes or No vote on Independence – especially since the last one was held in 2000, over 22 years ago. This will give a whole new generation of St. Martiners the chance to determine their future.
Finally, we exhort you to take this matter seriously and honor the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors, whose struggle for freedom is the reason we are not in chains today, and refuse to accept any “apology” as intended by the Dutch authorities, whenever and wherever they decide to offer this.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, President
Alston Lourens, Secretary
Lloyd Paul, Treasurer
