Labour Monthly, February 1944
Source: Labour Monthly, February 1944, p. 63-64, book reviews by G.P.;
Transcribed: by Ted Crawford.
The Future of Colonial Peoples by Lord Hailey. Lectures delivered to Princeton University, U.S.A., February, 1943 (Oxford University Press).
The Colonies (Labour Party Executive, March, 1943).
As victory approaches, the future of the colonies is increasingly discussed. The unity of the any former colonial nations of the Soviet Union with the Russian nation has deeply impressed the British people; and new voices are loudly-raised proposing all sorts of “solutions” for the colonial “problem” – any and every “solution” except the Socialist solution of liberation.
Two “solutions” are particularly publicised: First, that there be international supervision of the administrations of all colonies; this is proposed in the Labour Party Executive’s statement on post war colonial policy. Second, that colonies be grouped into regions, each under a co-ordinating council of representatives of all the powers possessing colonies in that region or having other interests there; this is favoured by Lord Hailey. Both “solutions” leave the colonies in the hands of the present possessing powers.
Except one very casual reference in the Labour statement, both it and Lord Hailey ignore the lessons provided by Soviet national policy. Both, on the contrary, are at pains to deny that Africans are, or for a long time will be, capable of governing themselves – so that Europeans must needs continue to govern them (for their own good, of course). Both consider Africans unable to understand the electoral system, and ignore the democracy of most tribal life. Neither mentions that natives of some Siberian tribes, such as the Nentsy, or Samoyeds (“Cannibals”), who twenty years ago were quite as primitive as any in Africa, today not only run their own affairs but help to legislate for the whole Soviet Union as Members of the Supreme Soviet and as high State functionaries. There is no Kikuyu in the Kenya legislature, let alone in the British Parliament. No African colonial people has any voice in the government of its own country.”
The Labour Executive and Lord Hailey quite frankly fear the enfranchisement of the Africans because it would give them a more powerful vote than Europeans Africa. Thus the Executive’s statement says: “When the time comes at which it is possible to introduce a franchise for Africans on the same terms as for Europeans .... appropriate measures may have to be taken constitutionally (!) to safeguard. the legitimate (!) rights of non-indigenous communities.” That is, the franchise will be a sham. There is no understanding of the brotherhood uniting the-Russian and non-Russian peoples of the Soviet Union, where in Russian areas there is no oppression of non-Russians and in non-Russian areas there is no oppression of Russians.
Neither Lord Hailey nor the Executive fully re cognises that only complete liberation can erase the conflict between Africans and Europeans. As Father Schebesta has admitted (My Pigmy and Negro Hosts), the African has been imbued with such hatred and distrust of Europeans, that Europeans can hardly introduce genuinely beneficial schemes: only a free African administration could do it. Only a free African administration could have fully mobilised Africans in support of the present war against Fascism as the free ad ministrations of Soviet peoples have done. Lord Hailey does admit that this view exists, but he adds that “It will find many powerful interests aligned against it.” Presumably for this reason he plumps for regional councils, while the native peoples “might” find a place – not on the councils themselves, indeed, but on mere advisory committees attached to them.
Similarly the supervisory Mandates Commissions proposed by the Labour Party Executive might hear complaints from the native peoples, but no natives would be members and there is no suggestion of early enfranchisement and responsible government.
Do Lord Hailey and the Labour Party Executive believe Africans will consider that such proposals fulfil the Atlantic Charter?
G. P.