St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1960-01-22
England Faces
Crucial Decision
On Africa

Continued form Page ~
accept anything much less than
full self-government for his country
almost at once. For time is on
his side and Mr.. Mboya knows
that he is in a strong position.
If Mr.. Macleod does not offer him
all he wants, Mr. Mboya is quite
liable to walk out of the confer
ence. When he goes back to Kenya,
riots and disorders might well be
whipped up in his support; arrests
might follow. The result would be
even more disastrous than the
Nyasaland troubles last year.
On the other hand, what hap
pens if the one-in-three chance
comes off? Suppose that by the
end of the Kenya conference next
month Mr.. Mboya has been offered
and accepted the right to head
fairly early black majority govern
ment in Kenya, but with safe
guards for the Europeans which
he agrees to honor.
The situation in East Africa
could then quite conceivably be
transformed, and even the problem
of Nyasaland might suddenly come
to seem much simpler than any of
us have previously dared to hope.
I suspect the British Government
would fairly quickly follow up any
success with Mr.. Mboya by re-
leasing DR.. Banda Of Nyasaland
from jail.
Indeed, DR.. Banda may well
be released before then, for dis
cusslons with him have already
started; following any easing of
the East African situation, how
ever, Mr.. Macleod might further
announce that elections could be
held for a more democratic terri
torial government in Nyasaland,
providing that the parties fighting
the election agreed that any gov
eminent they formed would not
secede from the Federation with
Rhodesia, at least until the Mon
ckton Commission has passed its
verdict on what form that fedora
ton should take.
I DR.. Banda is so fiercely opposed
to Federation with settler-ruled
Southern Rhodesia that some peo-
pie say that he would never &C
cept these terms, even if they were
: offered.
If by then Kenya is in flames
and Mr.. Mboya in angry revolt
and possibly on his way to jail. ]
suspect that DR.. Banda would in.
deed give the British a dusty an.
swer.
But If by then Kenya is set.
tied, and Mr.. Mboya on his way
to leading a black majority Ken
yam government, then the whole
atmosphere could be changed. i
should be remembered that the
African nationalist leader in Tan
ganyika, Mr. Nyerere, has already
agreed to become the Prime Min
lister Of Tanganyika, accepting GER
tain safeguards for his European
minority.
If both Mr.. Nyerere and Mr.
Mboya had by then accepted com
promises with Mr.. Macleod, sus
pect that DR.. Banda might do SC
too.
The other potential trouble spot
in East Africa is Uganda. There
are no white settlers in that coun.
try, and Britain would be only toe
glad to see it become a self-gov.
erning territory under a black ma.
tionalist prime minister. But the
hereditary chief Of Buganda, the
chief tribe in Uganda, is the Kab
aka. The present Kabaka is young
weak, obstinate, autocratic and 6
king - not an unusual combina
ton in history but very awkward
to deal with.
The British do not feel tha
I they could elevate Uganda to 6
state Of neutrality-suspicious. Will,
there was a danger Of the Kab
aka's building up undemocrati,
power over the whole state, run
ming 1t as a more or less fonda