Party Splits Over Smith’s Leadership

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31780, 10 September 1968, Page 17

Party Splits Over Smith’s Leadership

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—CoppriphO

SALISBURY, September 9.

The Rhodesian Front today emerged in disarray from a bitter party congress split over the leadership policies of the Prime Minister, Mr lan Smith.

Defections from the party continued in protest at its failure to approve an apartheidstyle constitution for Rhodesia, and the image of the Prime Minister has been seriously tarnished in the eyes of some of his party. During the three-day special congress only 11 votes saved Mr Smith from defeat at the hands of rebellious party members voting against his constitutional proposals. Officials of the tiny, extremist Right-wing Rhodesian National Party claimed yesterday to have signed up about 100 new members—the bulk of them former Rhodesian Front members who left in anger or desperation at the Prime Minister’s policies Several leading Rightwingers who voted against the Smith proposals have been openly urging angry

delegates not to leave the party. Mr Smith himself told last week’s congress when the shouting died down: “Divided we fall—united we go on to victory.” Once, possibly all would have listened to him. But this time it was not enough, and some went outside and tore up their party cards. Political sources reported that two Cabinet Ministers—the Defence and External Affairs Ministers, Lord

Graham, and the Agriculture Minister, Mr George Rudland —voted against Mr Smith on Friday. The conflict was over one part of the plan—the propo sal for an interim multi-racial Parliament and Senate, leading, in five years to a national Parliament and three provincial Asemblies, two for Africans and one for Europeans This would be political separation of the races. The anti-Smith brigade op posed the first, the interim stage, which they felt was dangerously close to being a basis on which talks could be resumed between Britain and Rhodesia to settle the independence issue.