PHILIPSBURG: --- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that she took note of the apology from King Willem Alexander regarding the slave trade.
Jacobs said that she took note of the King’s apology but she did not hear anything about reparations. She said it was interesting to hear that many Dutch people were not aware of how they received the golden era that was taught in schools.
She said that those persons that demanded that the King apologized for his family’s involvement and the benefits they gained through the slave trade, those persons got their apology.
Jacobs explained that the commitment from the King to ensure that all persons understand the true effects of the slave trade is important in order for the people of St. Maarten to gain true empathy through the plight of the descendants that were enslaved.
She felt that for her that the Dutch will keep in mind the reasons for their apology especially when meetings are kept between the Kingdom and the Caribbean countries.
