The Press WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1954. British Honduras

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27306, 24 March 1954, Page 10

The Press WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1954. British Honduras

Precautions are being taken in British Honduras against a repeti- , tion of the trouble that occurred j last October in British Guiana, : Britain’s other colony on the Ameri- - can mainland. In British Guiana, • the establishment of a Communist ■ State was prevented only by the < suspension of the newly-established Constitution and the removal from : office of newly-elected Ministers. : British .Honduras was granted a new Constitution recently, and elections ; under it are due next month. After ■ the elections, a position similar to • that which called for drastic action in British Guiana could well arise. Indeed, the dangers in British • Honduras are in some ways greater. Consequently, a bill has been passed by the Legislative Council in British Honduras that creates a new Legislative Assembly and gives wide emergency powers to the Governor. The extension of emergency powers that give the Governor authority to legislate in council for the colony has been criticised as “ turning the “Constitutional clock back”; but in the circumstances the precautions taken seem necessary. One part of the trouble is that British Honduras is another case of constitutional reform providing opportunities for a few men to beguile an unlettered electorate. In British Honduras, the only organised political party is the People’s United Party. This party employs full-time organisers and commands what passes for a native press; and the source of the funds for these activities is suspect. The People’s United Party denies that it is Communist; but it is strongly suspected that it is in close association with the Government of neighbouring Guatemala, which, if not openly Communist, is strongly sympathetic to communism, as was clearly shown at the Inter-American Conference which ended at Caracas. Venezuela, last week. For some years now Guatemala has laid, claim to British Honduras, a claim that could in ordinary circumstances be regarded as merely a diplomatic issue. But the British Government’s intention to liberalise the Constitution and lead British Honduras towards democracy provided the Guatemalan Government with opportunities to pursue by means other than diplomacy its design to absorb British Honduras. Recently, the Governor of British Honduras informed the British Government that the People’s United Party was working closely with the Guatemalan Government. It was believed to be the tool of Guatemalan communism, drawing moral support and financial and propaganda assistance from across the frontier. If, with an attractive “ reform ” programme, it could beguile the electorate, into giving it a majority in the legislature, the People’s United Party would work to oust Britain from British Honduras and, by force if necessary, link the colony with Guatemala. The British Government sent a commission to British Honduras to inquire into Guatemala’s relations with the People’s [United Party, and a decision about I holding the projected elections depends upon the report of this commission. In the meantime, the British Government, through the legislature in British Honduras, has initiated moves to protect the integrity of the country and its people, who like neither communism nor Guatemala. These moves, it must be hoped, will prevent trouble in British Honduras becoming acute, as they did with distressing and disturbing effects in British Guiana.