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Commonwealth
Survive?
(Conhnued from page 12}
opted out of the Commonwealth in 1949
because of bitterness over past treatment
duríng Britain's long rule in Ircland.
British-French actioo at Suez in 1956
did much to destroy Commonwealth
solidarity. Many Commonwealth mem–
bcrs felt
betrayed
bccause they had not
been consulted beforehand.
Britain's passing of the
Common–
trettllh Tmmigrants Acl
of 1962 put
a serious strain on Commonwealth rela–
tions. A furthcr restriction in L968 on
immigration from Kenya of persons of
Asían origin who had actually been
granted the status of "British subject,"
strengthened the policy established in
1962. This irritated sorne Common–
wealth nations, for they saw this act
as a clear discriminatory act against
certain races. Many have never forgiven
Britain for this.
Bccause of racial policy
ments, South Africa was
disagrec–
virtually
The
PLAIN TRUTH
April 1971
to/t, Ambouoclor
Col/os• Photo; Right,
Wiclo
World
TO REMAIN OR NOT REMAIN BRITISH
-
left, news kiosk in Gibraltar
reflects pro-British sentiments in this colony. Right, anti-British slogans
carried by Greek Cypriot students. Cyprus is a Commonwealth member.
forced out of the Commonwealth in
1961. Rhodesia is now cxcluded from
the Commonwealth because of her racial
policy.
Then there have been racial problems
between Greek and Turkish Cypriots,
and trouble between the African and
Indian populations of Kenya. And in
Guyana there has bcen strife bctweeo
the Indians and the Negrees.
India and Pakistan have fought a war
over Kashmir. Whcn tbey decided to
arbitrate their differences, thcy turned to
Russia - not to Britain, the Mother of
the Commonwealth
to sctt le their
dispute.
The Nigerian-Biafran tribal conflict
also caused division m the Com–
monwealth, and Singapore and Malaysia
have had their racial diffcrenccs. Even
Canada has had incipicnt civil disrup–
tions with a few scparatist l'rench
Canadians wantmg to seccde and form
their own French-spcaking nation.
And in Northern Ireland (Ulster)
there is racial, political and religious
strife which is about to tear Ulster
apart.
Why is tbis Commonwealth racial
strifc not bcang solved?
The London
D(/il) bpreu
put the problem suc–
onctly: "Thc racial problem as not
goiog to
be
solved at an}' confcrencc. lt
has beco wath us since the day of thc
sons of Noah, and ít is going to
lx
with
us a long time yet."
[t will takc a complete changc in thc
human hcart, not political confercnccs,
to bring man to the place of mutual
respect bctwccn racial and national
groups.
The Commonwealth - with its vast
cultural, pohtical and commerci.tl poten–
tia! - is currently divided and plung–
ing toward collapse because therc is no
mutual spirit of cooperation. There as
no unity. And
if
present trends arcn't
revcrscd immediately, the Common–
wcalth may not survive the seventics. O