From Curaçao, we raise our voices — not in desperation, but with unwavering confidence and moral clarity. Because we know our brothers and sisters across the Caribbean, across CARICOM, and throughout the global South will not stand by silently while the Netherlands tries to bury its crimes under carefully crafted, lawyer-proof apologies.
We have seen their strategy before. On December 19th, 2022, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte delivered his so-called “excuses” for slavery and colonial crimes — broadcast live from the Netherlands and ceremoniously repeated here in Curaçao. His words were polished just enough to soothe uneasy consciences, but never enough to open the door to true accountability. It was not an act of justice; it was theater. A performance to protect the very systems that still profit from our stolen past.
And yet something happened that they did not expect:
Their refusal to name slavery as a crime against humanity — both at the United Nations and repeatedly in their own parliament — has ignited the real battle for just reparations.
Make no mistake. The Netherlands fears precisely what the truth demands: that openly recognizing slavery and colonialism for what they truly are — crimes against humanity — would unlock the undeniable path to real, measurable reparations. It threatens the vast fortunes stacked in Dutch museums, banks, and family estates, all built on our ancestors’ stolen labor, lives, and dignity.
Meanwhile, this same colonial mentality continues, almost unconsciously embedded in their national DNA. It is why, centuries after the slave ships, we witnessed the Toeslagenaffaire — a scandal where thousands of families, overwhelmingly of migrant descent, were destroyed by man-made algorithms. Let us be crystal clear: this was no harmless computer glitch. These systems were designed by people, programmed by bureaucrats who carried the same cold suspicions and racial logic as the merchants and planters of old.
It is also why the Netherlands so zealously backs Israel’s brutal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians — another colonial enterprise enforced by bombs and bulldozers, wrapped in global silence. The same twisted thinking that once carved up our Caribbean now endorses the theft of Palestinian land and futures.
A Parliament That Chooses Injustice
The depth of this moral collapse stands exposed in three motions recently brought by MP Van Baarle — all struck down by the Dutch House of Representatives. Each vote reveals exactly which parties stand for denial, and which (however few) stand for truth.
1. Motion 36284, nr. 50
To legally recognize the slavery past as a crime against humanity.
• For: PvdD, Volt, GL-PvdA, DENK, D66
• Against: SP, NSC, SGP, VVD, JA21, PVV, CU, CDA, BBB, FVD
Even the Socialist Party (SP), which claims to champion the marginalized, refused to call slavery by its rightful name.
2. Motion 36284, nr. 51
To guarantee the continued involvement of descendants of enslaved people in policy development.
• For: SP, PvdD, Volt, GL-PvdA, DENK, D66, CU
• Against: CDA, BBB, FVD, NSC, SGP, VVD, JA21, PVV
Even a basic principle — that those most impacted should have a seat at the table — was rejected by a majority too fearful of sharing real power.
3. Motion 36284, nr. 53
To establish a commission to develop a proposal for reparations.
• For: PvdD, DENK
• Against: SP, Volt, NSC, SGP, VVD, JA21, PVV, GL-PvdA, D66, CU, CDA, BBB, FVD
Perhaps the most damning of all: nearly the entire parliament, including parties that parade their anti-racist credentials, voted against even studying how reparations might work. They did not merely oppose paying reparations — they refused to even explore what justice could look like.
Their Votes Won’t Fool Us: The Caribbean Sees Through Dutch Evasion on Reparations
This is not about timing or complexity. It is about a deep, unrepented legacy of racism, greed, and the fear of paying the bill for centuries of crime.
And let it be known clearly: their votes will not fool us.
The Caribbean sees through these evasions. The wider Global South sees through them. This decision by the Netherlands has not ended the question of reparations — it has lit the flame of the real fight for reparatory justice.
We stand with unwavering trust that our brothers and sisters across CARICOM, across the Caribbean diaspora, and across the South will:
Demand this betrayal be raised in every CARICOM summit, pushing for the full implementation of the CARICOM Reparatory Justice Programme.
Mobilize journalists, artists, and digital campaigns to pierce the Dutch narrative of “closure,” keeping global eyes fixed on this unfinished injustice.
Petition the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and every tribunal of conscience to spotlight the Netherlands’ ongoing evasion of moral and financial responsibility.
Build unified legal teams and research commissions to prepare the strongest possible cases for reparations — together.
Because this is not only Curaçao’s struggle. The same ships that docked in Willemstad loaded with shackled ancestors also docked in Paramaribo, in Bridgetown, in Kingston. The same sugar, gold, and human lives that built Amsterdam’s grand canals flowed from every corner of our Caribbean.
This is how we honor our ancestors. This is how we secure the dignity and future of our children.
Together, we will ensure this debt is finally paid — not with hollow apologies, but with real reparations that restore what was stolen and build what was long denied.
Tico Vos – Nos Ke Sa, standing on the collective insights of Curaçaoan activists, historians, and families who refuse to let this history be buried.
