Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Sunday issued a formal state apology to members of the Moluccan community for their decades-long mistreatment by the Netherlands after Indonesia gained independence from colonial rule.
Many Moluccans, from the so-called “Spice Islands” in eastern Indonesia, fought for the Dutch colonial army during the post-Second World War struggle for independence.
After Indonesia gained independence in 1949, around 12,500 Moluccans were brought to the Netherlands in a state-organised transfer to escape reprisals.
They were supposed to stay only briefly before returning to an independent country, as part of negotiations between the Dutch government and Indonesia at the time.
However, the Dutch reneged on their promise to repatriate them, and they were housed in dire conditions, with little effort made to find them employment or integrate them into wider Dutch society.
Unveiling a monument to commemorate that dark period of Dutch history, a visibly moved Jetten told hundreds of Moluccans gathered in Rotterdam that it was “high time” to apologise.
“For the inadequate reception and housing. For being unseen and abandoned. For the unfulfilled longing for home. And for the grief and pain in so many families. For this, I offer my apologies today on behalf of the Dutch government,” said Jetten.
