INVESTORS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA must be a moody lot these days, as events in "their part of the world spin them around from glee to despair and back again.
Just last autumn an encouraging double act appeared on the African scene - as President Kaunda of Zambla and Prime Minister Vorster of white racist South Africa together proclaimed a new era of "detente between the black African states (who long ago abandoned any real fight against imperialism) and white racism.
RHODESIA However before this love-knot could be finally tied the thomy question of Rhodesia had to be settled. To this end the black Rhodesian political leaders were coaxed and blackmailed into dissolving their different groups and uniting under the umbrella of the most richt-wing of them -the African National Congress (ANC), and the racist Government of lan Smith was persuaded to grudgingly make a few concessJons to the united black nationalists and to come to the negotiating table with them.
But before the ink was dry on this little scheme Smith and his collcagues bezan to back peddle, denying that there was any possibility of majority rule being granted in the 54 gate mas LAST SATURDAY, 1 March, was the 21st unniversary of the disruption of the US Congress by the gunfire and the cry of four Puerto Ricans for an independent Puerto Rico, free from the yoke of US imperialism.
Their action brought world attention to the Puerto Rican independence struggle, Although no one was killed, three men, Rafael Cancel-Miranda, Irving Flores, and Andres Figueroa-Cordero, received 75 year sentences and the leader, Lotita Lebron, 50 years.
Today they are still in jail, along with Licir co-lightter Oncur Collazo, who was arrested during the nationalist revolt which met the /SO declaration by the US Congress that Puerto Rico would henceforth be a 'Commonwealth. with associated statebood" with the US. The bloody sappTason or to revolt led to the cone s acons of usumed peacefully demonstrating poople and the jailing of hundreds COLONIAL TIES The "Commonwealth' solution was a псль of continuing 500 years of colonial cover of Jotroducie a tow minor reforms over local government As with Britain's ax-colonies in the CaribScan, 'associatod statulood was a formula which loft all ше ви солів чсз втаст Puerto Rica's economy is still totally dependent on forip investment ried 10 tie Us CurkeL Like Die slur Canub can islands it is still basically a factory producing ode or two products which it is forced to sell to imperinism at ncnock down peice.
- In Puerto ico the ine proact 15 sugar, although the discovery of oil and ether natural resources has recently lod 1o a leocle change over to petrachomKaunda-new double act with Vorste foresceable future, and breaking many of the pledges that bad been made (to tree imprisoned Atrican nationalists and allow them to engage in "constitutional' political activity).
The situation still remains a very dangerous one, South African has realised that it may have to live with a black ruled Rhodesia, but it wants to make sure that this takes place gradually, and under responsible' black leaders who will be prepared to compromise with imperialism and white racism.
Such a development also fits in with the aims of the black African governments, who have no interest in socing real mass struggle break out Picket of US Embassy last Saturday to demand release of Puerto Rican political prisoners Icals and licavy industry. To serve toad industries there has always been an abun dant supply of cheap labour averape wages are a thind of those paid in the 15)
and a reserve pool of lahour i there Is 30% unemployment)
MILITARY BASES This systema be expanDon nas Doc maintained through collaboration with a series of native puppet regimes as well as dineet military occupation - 13% of the island is given over to LS military bascs To adi insult to injury, the US Governthent also uses Puerlo Rican youth to seevice its war machine through compul sory mintary serop on the islands After the fierce repression which crushed the nationalist movement in the carly 1950c there was ao real organised opposition until the economic and social problems in Puerto Rico sharply a orscred in the late 1900s as the US itself entered into crisis Since then both the Independence and Socialist parties have growing in strength. The Puerto Rican Socialist Party (SP) in particular is contricted lo a programine of struggle for economic and political self-determinstion within the framework of a fight for a united soo THESE THEORET Tie to cergenoo of the national lib SADOR SEEEEME DREW SO CORCH MENEDI growing midlancy amongst the Puerto Rican working class Last year thero were strikes by transport workers, teachers.
und public employocs la November.
the National Guari were called our ag ainst striking sewage workers and 1l inion leaders were jailed, which brought thousands more out in solidarity.
Tha rupression of worces strupples follows on from continual harassment of left-wing orgunisations - the special police together with reactionary groups like the Cuban Anti-Communist Liter on their doorstep, and would almost certainly be accepted by the leadership of the revamped ANC, The big stumbling block so far has been the stubbornness of the Bhodesian shites GUERILLAS But there are encouraging signs that importance sections of the liberation forces have seen the dangers in such a course. Evidence that ZANU guerillas in the field have realised the information it is possible to be sure that the ZANU guerillas have rejected the Lusaka ceasefire call. So, while various political leaders" are hovering about continuing low level discuss ions with Smith, the figaters in the field have given their answer by showing that the struggle goes on.
Encouraging also is the latest coition of ZANU's journal, Zimbabwe News, received from Lusaka on 3 February. This asserts that the org In a long article on United Front and Armed Struggle in Zimbabwe" the ZANU militants implicitly reject the artificial unity imposed on them in December:
*Complete fusion of the liberation movements in Zimbabwe would have disastrous consequences on armed strugule in the country. In the first place, bow can a liberation movement operating within Zimbabwe under the control of lan Smith wage armed struggle?.. Secondly the movements that have signed the Lusaka declaraton have different political backudes towards national liberation in Zimbabwe. For example on the question of politient settlement, ANC is on record for supporting parity or the sharing of power with white settlers. ZAPU and FROLIZI are on record for seeking gradual majority
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UN CONETIONAL scienjell