Dutch Policy On New Guinea Unchanged

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28983, 26 August 1959, Page 13

Dutch Policy On New Guinea Unchanged

(Rec. 11 p.m.) The New Dutch Government’s policy on West

New Guinea was the same as that of its predecessor, the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Menzies) said in a televised “report to the nation’’ on his recent journey around the world.

Mr Menzies: There has undoubtedly been a great deal of speculation because we did not know what would happen to the point of view of the Dutch Government after their elections. “Prime Minister Drees, the previous Prime Minister, was a great believer in what I will call the Dutch policy on West New Guinea . . . and therefore I was tremendously interested to see the new Prime Minister, Dr de Quay . to find out from him and his colleagues whether there might be some change in their approach. . “The answer was quite clear and unhesitating: ‘No change. Our policy on this matter will be precisely the same as the policy of our predecessors,’ ” Mr Menzies said. , , , , Mr Menzies said he regarded the elections in Singapore as a great triumph for modern British policy. “All these places that were once simple complete colonies are moving towards their independence, and when, as is the case of Singapore. a popular election .occurs and a ministry is produced as a result, it deserves not our hostility or our fear, but our sympathy and understanding,” he said- . “It is the choice of its country. 1 had, of course, heard all sorts of extravagant rumours about the Lee administration . . . being a sort of Communist or fellow-

traveller administration. I don’t believe it.

“I entirely accept Dr. Lee’s repeated statements that he is not either a Communist or a Communist sympathiser, but that on the contrary he regards it as a very important duty to keep his country out of the Communist obit.

“He is a Socialist . . . yes . . . but there are many Socialists in the British countries, in the world. . . We have them in our own country. “I am not a Socialist. I would not perhaps have voted for him. I do not know. But he is there and 1 formed a very warm opinion of him,” said Mr Menzies.

“You must not think of people like that as if they were backward in some fashion. Dear me, Dr. Lee himself is a double first at Cambridge. He is a man of scholarship. “He has a young and enthusiastic team. Thirty-seven and a half is the average age of the Singapore Government . . ~” the Prime Minister said.