Central African Enquiry

Extract

The Report of the Advisory Commission on the Review of the Constitution of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the Monckton Commission, will undoubtedly be a document of historic significance. Not only will its findings be certain to affect the destinies of the seven and a half million inhabitants of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; not only does it form yet another in the long series of stepping stones of liberal imperialism leading to the creative abdication of imperial responsibilities; but the assumptions it starts from and the appeal it makes for a partnership between the races will also be important for the future relations between black and white in all Africa.

The Monckton Commission was established in 1959 at the instigation of the British government, to advise that government, the federal government of the Central African Federation and the three territorial governments of Southern and Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland on future constitutional developments. Led by Lord Monckton, a distinguished former British cabinet minister, the Commission was composed of members appointed by these governments. The importance of the constitutional review was emphasized by the selection of a Canadian and an Australian to sit on the Commission. Professor D. G. Creighton of the University of Toronto was invited by the British government to serve as the member from Canada.