STRAIGHT TALK BY JAGAN

British Guiana, Malta
and Southern Rhodesia’

By CHEDDI JAGAN

The definition of politics
which Ambrose Bierce gave
several years ago was. this:
“Politics becomes a strife of
interests masquerading as a set
of principles.”

How true with respect to the
former Tory government in Bri-
tain! Compare British Guiana
with Southern Rhodesia. The

Tory government repeatedly at-

the United Nations and else-
where declared, as_ regards
Southern Rhodesia, that it is
not right to intervene in an in-
ternally self-governing country.
However, it ruthlessly did so in
British Guiana.

For Southern Rhodesia, the
former British government
agreed that a referendum among
voters should be taken before
independence to “ascertain the
wishes of the people.” It just
happens that the whites who
make up less than 10 percent
of the population are practically
the only ones entitled to vote.
Views of the vast majority of
Africans, who cannot vote, were
to be ascertained by consulta-
tion with the Chiefs. But the
Chiefs are the stooges of the
white prime minister and the
white imperialists.

CHEDDI JAGAN

The People’s Progressive
Party has selected 35 candi-
dates to contest the elections
in British Guiana on Dec. 7.
The opposition party, the
People’s National Congress,
is running 53 candidates.

Note the difference in British
Guiana. Ian McLeod, former sec-
retary of state for the Colonies,
had said that the 1960 Constitu-
tional Conferences had resolved
the major controversial issues.
The next conference was to con-
sider mainly the date for inde-
pendence.

Independence was the major

Appeal of World Council of Peace:
“Oppose multilateral nuclear fleet’

The World Council of Peace
has asked all peace committees
to campaign against the creation
of the multilateral nuclear fleet
of the Atlantic Alliance, final
plans for which are slated to be
drawn up at the next NATO
meeting.

Peace forces in the NATO
countries will gather in Paris
at the time the NATO parley
opens on Dec. 15.

“The chance of stopping MLF
has never been better,” says the
Peace Council appeal.

The Canadian Peace Congress
is urging its members to take

ae

up the challenge: “Little publi-
city has been given to the issue
of MLF so that the general
public is unaware of what is at
stake, putting the West German
finger on the nuclear button. The
Canadian government should be
congratulated for its opposition
to the formation of MLF. It is
under constant pressure from
the U.S. to change its position
and needs all the encouragement
it can get.”

(A report from Bonn indicates
that pressure may. force the

West German government to.

delay participation in MLF).

issue in the 1961 elections. L.
F. S. Burnham, leader of the
People’s National Congress, said
not only that the winning party
would lead the country to inde-
pendence, but also fixed’ May
31, 1963 as the date for inde-
pendence.

But the PNC, having lost the
elections to the People’s Pro-
gressive Party, changed its tune.
It demanded no independence
without new elections under
proportional representation. And
with the reactionary United For-
ces, it started disturbances in
1962 and 1963 which resulted
in looting, arson and murder.

What did the British govern-
ment, the governor and police
do? They connived at and con-
doned the terroristic activities
of the opposition.

In 1963, for three days when
violence started and opposition
supporters squatted in govern-
ment buildings, looted in Stab-
roek market, beat Indians in the
streets, attacked civil servants
at work, I argued with the gov-
ernor and police commissioner
to bring in the troops to aid the
civil power. They did not think
it necessary and no firm action
was taken.

Vital security information was
withheld from me which impli-
cated in a secret terrorist or-
ganization PNC leaders.

‘Yet the British government
at the London Constitutional
Conference in October gave in
to all the demands of the oppo-
sition and imposed proportional
representation.

Note the difference in South-
ern Rhodesia. There the opposi-
tion leader who speaks for the
vast majority of the people is
in jail; his organization has been
banned.

Not only was PR imposed but
we are now forced to go to
elections nearly a year before
the normal government’s life.
And of course, our demand for
voting at 18 has been rejected.

_ And now to the Malta inde-
pendence celebrations. Sandys

The face of the German Democratic Republic changes from day to day. Photo shows new
apartment houses, culture and community service buildings lining Alexanderplaz, one of the

central squares in Berlin.

Crew members of the Soviet ship Belovodsk have just deli-
vered a cargo of sugar from Cuba to Odessa, and are prepat
ing for a voyage to India with a cargo of technical equipment.

and the Duke of Edinburgh were
there to witness the fireworks.
The fireworks not only came
from fire-crackers but from the
opposition Labor Party. Its
wishes were not heeded, even
though unlike our opposition it

‘had great justication for its

stand. Civil liberties were de-

‘nied there through threats of

the reactionary Catholic hierar-

lar situation to ours. It did not
have a majority of votes, ye!
the British government heeded
its wishes. :

The main reason of cours?
was that the government parly
was backed by the Cathollé
Church and the opposition Lab®
Party is socialist.

One would have thought tha

the imperialists would have lea
ed their lesson by now. Mat
ulation in Aden, Singapore #
Cyprus are now producing bitl@
fruits. We will no doubt hea
great deal more about Malta

chy to excommunicate Labor
Party supporters.

There was almost a parallel
situation. The government of
Malta was in a somewhat simi-

JAPAN’S Olympic Games organizer, Eisaku Sato, has bee!
elected prime minister following the resignation of Hayato Ik
because of ill-health . . . Titch, a six-foot baby whale deserted 9)
her mother on the banks of the St. Lawrence, was flown from
Montreal to England last week, where her new home will be Ma
22,000 gallon fibre glass pool at Flamingo Park Zoo, Yorkshire-»
Americans had wanted to buy the A.G. Grant whiskey distille!
which changed hands to another Scots firm, McGown and Cant
eron, for $1,500,000. —

x * ok

KUWAIT, the oil-rich Sheikdom, will receive help from U
Soviet Union in industrial and construction projects, according /
terms of a new agreement initialed in Moscow last week . °
James Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, who died last August,
left four friends $1,500 each with the wish that they spend sal™
within 19 months ‘on some extravagance.” é

* * * :

THAILAND’S armed forces were placed on the alert aftel
police claimed to have uncovered a plot to overthrow the goverf
ment. The country is U.S.-dominated and has been under martl
law since 1958. The jittery ruling junta has just discovered tha
former Premier Sarit Thanarat, who died last December, had “mis
used” funds worth about $25 million . . . Kelso, America’s seve
year-old wonder horse, won the $150,000 Washington Inter
tional. Russian Derby hero Anilin came in third . . . Folk sift
Joan Baez, at Salinas, California, is continuing to withhold $50,00
income tax as a protest against U.S. arms spending despite
Inland. Revenue attachment.

* * *

TALKS in Washington between President Johnson and Bit
ish Prime Minister Harold Wilson will be held Dec. 7 and 8. M®
important item on the agenda: the proposed NATO nuclear mull
lateral force... . A series of bilateral talks between top-level Cort"
munist Party and government delegations from the Socialist cou!
tries has been held in Moscow in the past fortnight. x

* * *

SLEEP, blessed sleep. Albert Smith, an aerospace engif
from England, was denied U.S. citizenship at Seattle because th
judge said he fell asleep during the naturalization ceremony
Police at Lachelle, a village near Paris, arrested a burglar W!
fell asleep on the job. He broke into a house and stole some f0°
topped off his meal with several bottles of wine and climbé
into bed.

November 27, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pagé