Rhodesian Action Party

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Rhodesian Action Party
AbbreviationRAP
PresidentIan Sandeman (1977-1978) [1]
Ina Bursey (1978-1979) [2]
Founded5 July 1977 (1977-07-05) [3]
Dissolved1979 (1979)
Split from Rhodesian Front
Ideology White nationalism
Anti-communism
Political position Far-right [4]

The Rhodesian Action Party (RAP) was a political party in Rhodesia formed in 1977 by a group of MPs from the Rhodesian Front (RF) who were dissatisfied by the leadership of Ian Smith and his attempts to negotiate an 'internal settlement' with African nationalists. Twelve members of the Rhodesia House of Assembly joined the party when it was launched in May 1977, including Ted Sutton-Pryce, Reg Cowper, Ian Sandeman and former Rhodesian Front chairman Des Frost. [5]

Contents

Accusing the RF of being "completely bankrupt of all ideas", the RAP endorsed "any constructive move towards a settlement of Rhodesia's constitutional problem", in which "people of different cultures can coexist in mutual respect and safety". [6] Frost described Smith as "tired and negative", prompting Smith to describe him as "completely two faced". [7]

The defections did not end the RF majority in the Assembly but did deprive it of the two-thirds majority which was needed to amend the constitution and Smith therefore decided to hold an early general election to try to regain the initiative.

The party contested 46 out of the 50 white seats at the 1977 general election, with an advertising campaign defiantly proclaiming "if the rest of the world's settlement proposals for Rhodesia don't work - here are Rhodesia's settlement proposals for the rest of the world". [8] It performed disastrously, failing to win any of the seats it contested, all of which were won or regained by the RF. [9] The party's overall total was 9.3 per cent. [10]

The party remained in existence and fought the Highlands North by-election in 1978 after the Internal Settlement agreement but did not improve its numbers significantly, with the opposition vote being divided between the party and its rivals, the Rhodesian Conservative Alliance and the reformist National Unifying Force, led by Allan Savory. [11]

It campaigned for a "no" vote in the 1979 constitutional referendum, but was rebuked by South African Foreign Minister Pik Botha when it claimed that Pretoria would continue to support Rhodesia were voters to reject the power-sharing settlement. [12] The president of the party, Ina Bursey, told supporters: "In using God's name I am not being irreverent, because if you vote Yes you will inevitably be landed with a Marxist government". [13]

Bursey denounced the "yes" vote in the referendum, declaring: "The Rhodesian people have sold their souls to the devil and deserve to reap the fruits of the whirlwind." [14] She announced that the party would be dissolved and that she would be emigrating from Rhodesia herself. [15]

Electoral history

House of Assembly elections

YearPopular VotePercentageSeatsGovernment
1977 6,2249.26%
0 / 66
RF

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodesia</span> Unrecognised state in Southern Africa (1965–1979)

Rhodesia, officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979. During this fourteen-year period, Rhodesia served as the de facto successor state to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, and in 1980 it became modern day Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Smith</span> Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979

Ian Douglas Smith was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979. He was the country's first leader to be born and raised in Rhodesia, and led the predominantly white government that unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom in November 1965 in opposition to their demands for the implementation of majority rule as a condition for independence. His 15 years in power were defined by the country's international isolation and involvement in the Rhodesian Bush War, which pitted the Rhodesian Security Forces against the Soviet and Chinese-funded military wings of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence</span> 1965 statement on independence from the UK

Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) was a statement adopted by the Cabinet of Rhodesia on 11 November 1965, announcing that Rhodesia a British territory in southern Africa that had governed itself since 1923, now regarded itself as an independent sovereign state. The culmination of a protracted dispute between the British and Rhodesian governments regarding the terms under which the latter could become fully independent, it was the first unilateral break from the United Kingdom by one of its colonies since the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. The UK, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations all deemed Rhodesia's UDI illegal, and economic sanctions, the first in the UN's history, were imposed on the breakaway colony. With the help of the Commonwealth Secretariat, members of the Commonwealth were able to cooperate and advise Rhodesian Africans on policy. Amid near-complete international isolation, Rhodesia continued as an unrecognised state with the assistance of South Africa and Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodesian Front</span> Ruling party of Rhodesia (1965–1979)

The Rhodesian Front (RF) was a conservative political party in Southern Rhodesia, subsequently known as Rhodesia. Formed in March 1962 by white Rhodesians opposed to decolonisation and majority rule, it won that December's general election and subsequently spearheaded the country's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1965, remaining the ruling party and upholding white minority rule through the majority of the Bush War until 1979. Initially led by Winston Field, the party was led through most of its lifetime by co-founder Ian Smith. Following the end of the Bush War and the country's reconstitution as Zimbabwe, it changed its name to the Republican Front in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford Dupont</span> British-born Rhodesian politician

Clifford Walter Dupont was a British-born Rhodesian politician who served in the internationally unrecognised positions of officer administrating the government and president. Born in London and qualifying as a solicitor, Dupont served during the Second World War as an officer of the British Royal Artillery in North Africa before first visiting Southern Rhodesia in 1947. He returned a year later, started a ranch and emigrated full-time during the early 1950s, by which time the country had become a territory of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

John James Wrathall, was a British-born Rhodesian politician. He was the last white President of Rhodesia. He formerly worked as a chartered accountant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodesian Bush War</span> 1964–1979 conflict in Southern Africa

The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Second Chimurenga as well as the Zimbabwean War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internal Settlement</span> 1978 agreement in Rhodesia

The Internal Settlement was an agreement which was signed on 3 March 1978 between Prime Minister of Rhodesia Ian Smith and the moderate African nationalist leaders comprising Bishop Abel Muzorewa, Ndabaningi Sithole and Senator Chief Jeremiah Chirau. After almost 15 years of the Rhodesian Bush War, and under pressure from the sanctions placed on Rhodesia by the international community, and political pressure from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the Rhodesian government met with some of the internally based moderate African nationalist leaders in order to reach an agreement on the political future for the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Rhodesia</span>

Rhodesia had limited democracy in the sense that it had the Westminster parliamentary system with multiple political parties contesting the seats in parliament, but as the voting was dominated by the White settler minority, and Black Africans only had a minority level of representation at that time, it was regarded internationally as a racist country. It is thus an example of a state which practiced herrenvolk democracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. K. van der Byl</span> Rhodesian politician

Pieter Kenyon Fleming-Voltelyn van der Byl was a Rhodesian politician who served as his country's Foreign Minister from 1974 to 1979 as a member of the Rhodesian Front (RF). A close associate of Prime Minister Ian Smith, Van der Byl opposed attempts to compromise with the British government and domestic black nationalist opposition on the issue of majority rule throughout most of his time in government. However, in the late 1970s he supported the moves which led to majority rule and internationally recognised independence for Zimbabwe.

Ahrn Palley was an independent politician in Rhodesia who criticised the Smith administration and the Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Ian Smith described him as "one of the most able politicians this country has produced, and although our political philosophies did not coincide, we always respected one another and maintained friendly relations."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Rhodesian general election</span>

General elections were held in Rhodesia on 31 August 1977, the last general election in the country dominated by the white minority. Prime Minister Ian Smith, who was conducting negotiations with moderate African nationalists, was forced into an early election by the defection of twelve MPs from his Rhodesian Front party, which denied him the two-thirds majority of the House of Assembly needed to change the constitution. In the event, the Front overwhelmed the breakaway Rhodesian Action Party and all other forces, once again winning every single seat in the 50 seats elected by those of European descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Rhodesian constitutional referendum</span>

A double referendum was held in Rhodesia on 20 June 1969, in which voters were asked whether they were in favour of or against a) the adoption of a republican form of government, and b) the proposals for a new Constitution, as set out in a white paper and published in a Gazette Extraordinary on 21 May 1969. Both proposals were approved. The country was subsequently declared a republic on 2 March 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Rhodesian constitutional referendum</span>

A constitutional referendum was held in Rhodesia on 30 January 1979. It followed the Internal Settlement drawn up between Prime Minister Ian Smith and Abel Muzorewa, leader of the non-violent UANC. The new constitution would bring in black majority rule in the country, which would be renamed Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The settlement was supported by the ruling Rhodesian Front, but opposed by the Rhodesian Action Party, which had broken away from the Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political history of Zimbabwe</span>

The modern political history of Zimbabwe starts with the arrival of white people to what was dubbed Southern Rhodesia in the 1890s. The country was initially run by an administrator appointed by the British South Africa Company. The prime ministerial role was first created in October 1923, when the country achieved responsible government, with Sir Charles Coghlan as its first Premier. The third premier, George Mitchell, renamed the post prime minister in 1933.

William John Harper was a politician, general contractor and Royal Air Force fighter pilot who served as a Cabinet minister in Rhodesia from 1962 to 1968, and signed that country's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Britain in 1965. Born into a prominent Anglo-Indian merchant family in Calcutta, Harper was educated in India and England and joined the RAF in 1937. He served as an officer throughout the Second World War and saw action as one of "The Few" in the Battle of Britain, during which he was wounded in action. Appalled by Britain's granting of independence to India in 1947, he emigrated to Rhodesia on retiring from the Air Force two years later.

Richard Brathwaite Hope Hall ICD was a British-born merchant banker, businessman, and politician active in Rhodesia during the 1960s and 70s. A member of Prime Minister Ian Smith's UDI cabinet, he served as a member of parliament in Rhodesia's House of Assembly from 1965 to 1976. He began his political career as a member of the Dominion Party, and served as its chairman from 1960 to 1962. In 1962, he was a founding member of the Rhodesian Front, but switched to the Rhodesian Action Party in 1976. After unsuccessfully running for re-election in 1977, he moved back to the United Kingdom, where he lived until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Smith (politician)</span> English-born Rhodesian farmer and politician

Lancelot Bales Smith, was an English-born Rhodesian farmer and politician. Elected to Parliament in the 1950s, he was a founding member of the Rhodesian Front in 1962. He was minister without portfolio in the cabinet of Prime Minister Ian Smith at the time of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. In 1968, after serving as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, he was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs, a position he held until 1974, when he exited politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre Party (Rhodesia)</span> Political party in Rhodesia

The Centre Party (CP) was a liberal political party in Rhodesia. Founded in 1968, it was a multiracial party opposed to the policies of the country's Rhodesian Front-dominated white minority government. It dissolved in 1977.

George Rollo Hayman was a Rhodesian farmer and politician. A member of the House of Assembly, he served in several portfolios as a member of the Cabinet of Rhodesia under Prime Minister Ian Smith. Born in the United Kingdom, he moved to Southern Rhodesia at age four and served as a Royal Air Force pilot in World War II.

References

  1. Burns, John F. (25 March 1978). "Rhodesian Rightists Denounce Smith as a Traitor for Pact With Blacks". The New York Times .
  2. "RAP NEGOTIATING WITH SHONAS". The Rhodesia Herald . 30 May 1978. p. 2. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  3. "12 Rhodesians Expelled By Smith Form New Party". The New York Times . 5 July 1977.
  4. Hawkins, Tony (1 February 1979). "Way is clear in Rhodesia for a form of black rule". Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  5. Ending Civil War: Rhodesia and Lebanon in Perspective, Matthew Preston, I.B.Tauris, 2004, pages 132-133
  6. Political Handbook of the World, Council on Foreign Relations, State University of New York at Binghamton. Center for Comparative Political Research, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1978, page 364
  7. Under the Skin: The Death of White Rhodesia, David Caute, Northwestern University Press, 1983, page 87
  8. Bulletin, Volumes 15-16, Africa Institute of South Africa, 1977, pages 176-177
  9. The Journal of Parliamentary Information, Volume 24, Lok Sabha Secretariat, 1978, page 100
  10. Indispensable Traitors: Liberal Parties in Settler Conflicts, Thomas G. Mitchell, Greenwood Press, 2002, page 10
  11. Translations on Sub-Saharan Africa, Issues 1968-1977, United States. Joint Publications Research Service, 1978, page 62
  12. Financial Mail, S.A.A.N. Limited, 1979, page 295
  13. A triumph for Ian Smith, The Spectator , 3 February 1979, page 8
  14. African Recorder, Volume 18, page 5014
  15. The Economist, Volume 270, Part 2, page 40