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Dutch PM’s apology will only open old wounds, unnecessarily
The Dutch should not shift their burden to others, especially on nations who endured their horrific colonization in the past.
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King Willem-Alexander looks on during a visit at the hydrogen cluster at Industriepark Kleefse Waard, in Arnhem, on November 16, 2022. The visit focused on the growing hydrogen economy and the important role that hydrogen plays in the energy transition.
(AFP/Ramon van Flymen )
O
n Dec. 27, 1949, the Netherlands reluctantly recognized Indonesia as an independent state, after the failure of its four-year military actions to regain control of its former colony of 350 years that proclaimed its independence on Aug. 17, 1945. It took the Dutch 60 years to finally acknowledge Indonesia’s official day of independence, albeit through a statement of a minister in 2005.
Next year, the Dutch will hold a Slavery Memorial Year to recall the atrocities it committed for 300 years in its former colonies. It will last from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024 as a part of the national self-healing process. I wonder why they only address the slavery crimes but not the colonization as a whole.
The healing process, however, can provoke unnecessary reactions from their former colonies such as Indonesia. Many Indonesians have removed the bitter memory about the Dutch colonization, but the year-long event will not only open old wounds but could also provoke anger, silly talks and time-wasting debates.
That the Dutch cannot yet come to terms with its past is not our business. They should not shift their burden to others, especially on nations who endured their horrific colonization in the past.
In March 2020, I received several angry and rude comments, including accusations that I was a Muslim terrorist, when I wrote a column and uploaded a video message to the visiting Dutch King Willem-Alexander, calling him to recognize the official independence day of Indonesia.
I also wrote in the column, Indonesia inherited a little from its former colonial master. The House of Representatives has just passed the new criminal code (KUHP) replacing the Dutch-inherited law, which had been used for more than 100 years. The Wetboek van Strafrecht regulation was applied in Indonesia in 1918 and still prevailed until the House approved the new law.
Some Indonesians speak Dutch, which is a complete difference from the former colonies of Britain such as Malaysia, Singapore and India. One of the most amusing questions for me is why we in Indonesia drive on the left, while the Dutch drive on the right despite their 350 years of Indonesian occupation.
