THE TROUBLES IN BRITISH GUIANA (Hansard, 22 February 1962)

THE EARL OF ARRAN
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COLONIAL AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF PERTH)
Yes, my Lords; the Governor of British Guiana was, as usual, in close 810 touch with the Colonial Office. His reports of the budget proposals of the elected Government of the Colony, of the reactions of the public to it, and of the General Strike that began on February 13 enabled Her Majesty's Government to take precautionary steps to alert troops outside the Colony and ships of the Royal Navy. Internal security under the British Guiana Constitution is the responsibility of the elected Government, and, when the formal request for troops to aid the civil power was made, they were able, as the result of these precautionary steps, to arrive in Georgetown in a very short time. Further, troops in the United Kingdom had also been put at immediate readiness in case of need and were flying to British Guiana the same day as the request was received.
I should like to take this opportunity to pay a sincere tribute to the ability and courage which the Governor, Sir Ralph Grey, has shown in dealing with the recent troubles in British Guiana.

THE EARL OF ARRAN
My Lords, does the noble Earl recall my sending him last August a report from a senior British journalist resident in the Colony at that time, which said, admittedly in the context of the election, that there were bound to be racial troubles between Africans and Indians, and that the whole atmosphere was dangerous and explosive? And does the noble Earl further recall that in his reply to me he referred to these reports as alarmist and exaggerated and not corresponding to the reports the Colonial Office were receiving from the Governor?

§ THE EARL OF PERTH
Yes, my Lords, I recall that correspondence very well; and as the noble Earl says, it was in relation to the situation ruling before the election. In my reply, which he also recalls, I drew attention to the fact that this was in relation to the pre-election situation; and I further said that, of course, in a Colony where there is a population which is roughly half of one race and half of another there is always a risk of the danger which he envisaged in the report which he quoted, but that I did not think we had grounds for fear at that time.

§ LORD HENDERSON
My Lords, may I ask the noble Earl whether the request for British troops to be sent there was made on the initiative of the Governor or at the request of the Prime Minister through the Governor?

§ THE EARL OF PERTH
My Lords, as I said in my Answer, a formal request for troops was made by (I think it was) the head of the police, acting on behalf of the Government, to aid the civil power.

THE EARL OF ARRAN
My Lords, does the noble Earl not agree that in a primitive country, in which, as he says, politics are almost entirely racial, the Government of which was elected on a minority vote and where British troops number 130, acute dissension, if not actual civil war, was likely, if not then, at some later time?

§ THE EARL OF PERTH
My Lords, I think my answer to that is that I hope not—and I think of the colonial territories which have similar situations and regarding which our hope and belief is that over a period of time the races will in fact learn to live together and work together, perhaps even as the Welsh, the Scots and those from England have done.

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
What about the Irish?

§ LORD WALSTON
My Lords, the noble Earl has informed us that the Government were well aware of the dangers which were threatened in British Guiana. Yet, in spite of their being forewarned and aware of it, I think he will agree there was considerable damage to property and also loss of life. Does that not suggest that, in spite of the warnings, correct precautions were not taken? Or, failing that, perhaps the noble Earl could tell us what would happen in that place, and other places, in the future where such adequate warning has not been given.

§ THE EARL OF PERTH
My Lords, these are very difficult questions. I would again recall to your Lordships that the constitutional responsibility for internal security at this particular stage of the development of British Guiana rests on the elected Government and the 812 Ministers of the Colony. That is where it stood. Earlier, of course, it would be the responsibility of the Governor or directly, if you like, of Her Majesty's Government. We are all the time endeavouring to lead these Colonies on to a stage when they can reach independence, and this territory had reached quite an advanced stage in its Constitution. So the issues of internal security and the precautions therefore were the responsibility, directly under the Constitution, of the elected Ministers, and that is something which, as I say, is a necessary development in progress towards independence.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLS-BOROUGH
My Lords, may I ask whether the noble Earl considers that the Government have paid sufficient attention to a case like this in British Guiana, and possibly cases in other places, in considering their general defence policy and the allocation of troops, either in Europe or abroad? It seems to me to be a very serious question. Also, will the noble Earl take consultations with the Defence Ministry and perhaps be able to advise us when we come to discuss the White Paper?

§ THE EARL OF PERTH
My Lords, I am quite sure the Government have taken the problems of their colonial responsibilities very much into account, but I think, as the noble Viscount said, that it would be appropriate and right for them to be raised in more detail at the time of the Defence debate.

THE EARL OF ARRAN
My Lords, would the noble Earl agree that, through complacency, Her Majesty's Government allowed themselves to be taken by surprise, with disastrous results; and would he perhaps now agree that a journalist might be right when a Governor is wrong?

§ THE EARL OF PERTH
My Lords, that could happen, but I do not think it happened in this particular case. I certainly do not feel that the Government were complacent, nor the Governor; and, as I tried to show in the answer to the Question, steps were taken as soon as there were signs of trouble developing so that when the demand arose we were able to meet it in the shortest time.