Rhodesian Front Faces Split

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31724, 6 July 1968, Page 13

Rhodesian Front Faces Split

(NZP-A-Reuter— Copyright) SALISBURY, July 5. The Prime Minister (Mr. lan Smith) today faced a serious split in the ruling Rhodesian Front after the virtual dismissal of the Internal Affairs Minister (Mr William Harper), and the resignation of a leading party member.

Mr Harper, ranked number three in the Cabinet and recognised leader of the right-wing faction inside the party, was asked to resign by Mr Smith and promptly complied. . , He said later that he and the Prime Minister had not been seeing eye to eye for some time anyway. Shortly after the news of Mr Harper’s enforced resignation broke, the former Prime Minister. Mr Winston Field, announced that he had resigned from the party. Mr Field said in a letter to Mr Smith and Mr Harper that he was leaving the Rhodesian Front because of dissatisfaction with the leadership and its “lack of resolve on party principles and politics”. Influence In Centre Mr Field commanded a high degree of influence in the party’s centre group. Appointed Prime Minister when the Front came to power in 1962, he was the last Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia. He resigned as Prime Minister in the middle of 1964 and retired from active politics a year later. Observers thought Mr Field would take some centre group members out of the party with him. just as Mr Harper’s forced resignation would lead to some Right-wingers quitting. But Mr Field was not thought likely to re-enter active politics and observers speculated to what extent he might throw his influence behind the expected Right-wing regrouping round Mr Harper. Possible Purge Mr Smith’s stern disciplinary action against Mr Harper was seen by some political observers as signalling a possible purge of recalcitrant Right-wingers in the party. It followed a week of searching discussions by the party’s Parliamentary caucus over a new Constitution for the country—discussions that highlighted sharp division between the centre and far Right over which way Rhodesia should go. Mr Harper was reported one of the staunchest opponents of the Smith policy of maintaining African representation in Parliament, campaigning Instead, with bls Right-wing followers, for a Constitution that would rid Parliament of its black members.

The announcement that he had left came only hours after the Prime Minister denied reports of a rift in the caucus on the question of African representation, the hottest political issue since independence. The official announcement said merely that Mr Harper had resigned at the invitation of Mr Smith “for reasons entirely unrelated to any differences of opinion on constitutional or other political issues”.

But observers said the suggestion that politics had nothing to do with the break was unbelievable.

Political observers say that perhaps 10 members and one or two ministers would go with Mr Harper if he leaves. Some expect that a wider Right-wing break would throw the support of influential liberal and middle-of-the-road groups behind Mr Smith. This would improve prospects of renewed independence talks with Britain, though observers point out that Mr Field’s resignation could upset existing calculations.