Jakarta, IO – Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized for his country’s involvement in slavery in the past. He made this statement during the 150th anniversary of the abolition in the Netherlands, Saturday (1/7).
“Today, I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul,” he said in an emotional speech, per Katadata, Monday (3/7).
The apology was issued after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte made the same statement late last year. In addition, the 56-year-old king also supports a more comprehensive study to find out the detailed role of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in slavery. The results of this study are expected to be completed in 2025.
The Netherlands, according to the Associated Press, was first involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s. By the mid-1600s, it had become one of the world’s largest slave trading nations.
A study backed by the Dutch government found that the kingdom made Rp9 trillion worth of profits from its colonies between 1675-1770. Most of them were in the form as gifts from the Dutch East India Company (VOC) which occupied Indonesia and other Asian countries during the period.
Read: Jokowi Offers Citizenship Restitution To Two Exiled Victims Of 1965-1966 Incident
When the King visited Indonesia in March 2020, the Netherlands apologized to Indonesia for “excessive violence” inflicted by its army in the past.
On June 15, the Netherlands recognized Indonesia’s de facto independence on August 17, 1945. This was a reversal from its stance insisting that Indonesia only became independent at December 27, 1948 in accordance with the Round Table Conference agreement. (un)