‘Too late’: why some Malukans say a Dutch apology isn’t enough

“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,” Jetten said, as quoted by international media.

Jetten was unveiling Ulu Kora, a monument dedicated to the Malukan diaspora, on the Lloydkade in Rotterdam, the port where the first ships transporting Malukans docked in 1951.

“I realise the injustice cannot be suddenly removed with apologies. We cannot change the course of history and the reality of today with a few sentences,” Jetten said. “But I do hope that the words I just spoke are perceived as a form of recognition and an act of historical justice for you.”

Jetten did not say what other actions the government would take following the apology, which marked the latest in a series of major historical reckonings by the Dutch leadership.