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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 29, No. 9. 1966.

Challenge

Challenge

This is the challenge the New Zealand Government must recognise if their contribution to United Nations efforts have to be consonant with the intentions of Africa and those of peace-loving people in other lands. It is not necessary for the New Zealand Government to follow British policy of neglect in Rhodesia. The United Nations declaration on the granting of independence to colonial peoples binds New Zealand and other countries to doing all that is necessary to bring early majority rule in Rhodesia.

Smith stands for white racist privilege and denial of of rights to the African majority in Rhodesia. The Zimbabwe African People's Union and the entire African population of the British colony are fighting for justice and a popularly elected government in Zimbabwe. Our just and legitimate aspirations are a sine qua non in the politics of representative government. We are not striving to set up a colour-conscious dictatorship whose respect for the rule of law is comparable only to Nazi Germany. This is what the Smith rebel regime is in Rhodesia today.

The activities of the "Friends of Rhodesia Associations" of New Zealand, in conjunction with similar organisations in fascist South Africa, make us wonder whether the New Zealand Government's action of voting against the UN draft resolution calling for mandatory sanctions and military action by the British Government (and the international world) against Rhodesia's white minority rebels are a well calculated move to foil our attempts to establish a popular Government in our own country.

The African people of Zimbabwe cannot help but feel that the New Zealand Government is in collusion with the racist rebel regime of Ian Smith and is, therefore, one of their dangerous enemies as Tanzania's John Malecela said in the UN's Colonialism Committee recently. This may not be the case but as actions speak louder than words, we will not be convinced easily that the New Zealand Government sees eye to eye with us vis-a-vis our legitimate aspirations until it actually works hand in hand with us for the immediate establishment of a popular government in Rhodesia on a one man, one vote basis.