Nkrumah Writes On Rhodesia

Press, Issue 30996, 28 February 1966, Page 12

Nkrumah Writes On Rhodesia

I From the London correspondent oj “The Press "J

LONDON, February 21 “Punch,” Britain’s famous humour magazine, this week resumed its serious symposium of

articles on Rhodesia.

In the January 26 issue Milan Smith wrote" on his country’s crisis under the title. ‘‘Rhodesia—A Personal View,” The following week Mr Edward Heath, leader of the British Conservative Party, gave ‘‘The Conservative View” and Mr Bernard Hollowood. editor of ‘“Punch,” gave “A Liberal View."

Mr Heath began his article by saying that he had no doubt the previous week’s issue of ‘Punch” containing Mr Smith’s article would have a wide circulation in Rhodesia, and hoping that the same would apply to the current week’s.

A spokesman for “Punch" said today that as far as was known both these issues had in fact been freely allowed to circulate in Rhodesia and no censorship in any form had been applied. “But we don't know if the same will be able to be said of this week’s issue."

African View

President Nkrumah. of Ghana, has written this week’s article entitled “Rhodesia— An African View,” in which he states that action must now be taken “to bring about a speedy and sensible transition to majority rule, and thus save the risk of a violent conflict, a war, and the possibility of further escalation.”

President Nkrumah also states that he does not believe that the Smith regime will be destroyed by sanctions, although, if universally applied, they might be “a contributing factor in producing a successful take-over of power by the African inhabitants of the colony.” In the event of sanctions not provoking a take-over of power by the African majority, the only remaining course is military action from outside, contends Dr. Nkrumah. and he adds that this should be by the Organisation of African Unity, acting under the authority of the United Nations.

Among other points made in the article was the assertion that arguments about whether or not Africans in Southern Rhodesia were fit to rule were “as inconsequential as the nineteenth-century arguments used to debar the British agricultural worker from exercising his right to vote.”

“It is only through the ordinary man having that right that he can exercise constitutional pressures for changes in the social system. When a social system becomes as diseased as that of Southern Rhodesia, a point is reached where the only alternative to constitutional change is a violent revolution. “Constitutional change is impossible so long as power is left in the hands of a privileged minority of the population.”

“Punch” makes an announcement above the article that it hopes shortly to present the opinion of President Kaunda. of Zambia. (The articles by Messrs Smith Heath and Hollowood appeared on this page of “The Press” on February 16 to 20.)