TRIBUTE ABDUL - Perdana Library

TRIBUTE TO TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN
It is interesting to note that the South Africans quickly changed
their diplomatic tactics. Previously South Africa declined to attend
any discussion on apartheid and ignored any attacks. After
Sharpeville, she began to answer back, attended the Security Council
meeting, and also announced that she would be represented at the
Prime Ministers' Conference in London by her Minister of External
Affairs, Mr. Louw. This settled one question because many had
begun to doubt if South Africa would appear at all in face of the
tide of hostile criticism.
South Africa, however, had a particular reason for wanting
to be there. The Government had announced its intention of
holding a referendum on South Africa becoming a Republic. The
most extreme elements wanted a complete break with the Commonwealth,
but the Government was more guarded and left itself
uncommitted on whether the proposed Republic should be inside
or outside. One of Mr, Louw's assignments, it turned out, was
to try and get a blank cheque endorsement for a South African
Republic to stay in the Commonwealth.
Apartheid produced one unexpected reaction - a great deal
of heart-searching on the future of the Commonwealth, particularly
in the Press. The most pessimistic had grave doubts whether the
Commonwealth could survive the shock of Sharpeville; surely it
could split wide open. The most optimistic were confident that the
Commonwealth, with its remarkable record of adapting itself to
changing circumstances, would not fail to meet this new challenge
to its genius for association.
The British Press managed to work itself into a tangle of speculation
whether apartheid would come up in the Conference formally
or informally, or whether it would come up at all. The words
"formal" and "informal" began to assume estraordinary importance.
The argument went like this. If apartheid is formally
discussed it is a victory for public opinion; if it is informally
discussed, then the Prime Ministers are handling it with kid gloves;
if it is not discussed, then they are baulking the issue,
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