Ottawa Diary
Elephants and economics
Molly Mortimer
The Canadian government ran short on Ugandan flags as protesting Asians stole them by night; the Zambian leader stole not so silently away for any of several diplomatic reasons and General Amin scored a double by dominating the opening of the second half of the Conference with a fifteen-page apologia for Asian expulsion. His extraordinary document, trouncing British racism and trumpeting the need for Africa — the "awakened black beauty with bursting physique" — to "wedge hot war against imperialism" got very short shrift from Mr Heath and no invitation to dinner for his representative. The ghost of murdered Chief Justice Ben Kiwanuka and thousands of his compatriots were not avenged; but they were not forgotten. And the Conference, not divided, got down to the shirtsleeves of economic facts.
Lee Kuan Yew acidly dispelled the euphoria of detente and hopes that this might release millions from defence budgets to Aid. There would be no security in South-East Asia till China achieved parity and a blue-water fleet, for neither the US nor USSR would guarantee neutrality to those "whistling in the dark through the cemetery of Indo China." Changing the detente metaphor, he elaborated Tanzania's proverb: when elephants fight, it is the grass which suffers. When elephants flirt, he declared, it was no better; when they made love it was disastrous. Prince Makhosini of Swaziland also favoured the elephant theme; herds he asserted, were having a free-for-all in the world economy, at the expense of the developing world, making free trade and reciprocity a mockery between unequals.
The ' stupefying tedium ' of trade, tariffs and money provides few stories for the jostling journals, but proved far from boring to the Heads of State who sat long after time on Tuesday and, better barometer, missed their tea break. Control of overseas investment, multi-national corp3rations and their political influence excited most discussion. The majority of such in the Commonwealth being British, were defended by Mr Heath as having excellent records; it was up to local governments to make restraining laws. Where, he asked, would Australia's balance of payments be without British investment? Exploited and underdeveloped as she might claim to be, her per capita income was one of three highest in the Commonwealth. Lee, also taking a sideswipe at Australia, said these talented symbols of capitalism were necessary — indeed the worst thing for developing areas was socialist government in the developed countries.
The second main discussion centred on economic disparity. Nigeria conjured up another elephant in the Ottawa Plan to redistribute the wealth of the Commonwealth on Colombo Plan lines. New Zealand thought a permanent Economic Bureau in the Secretariat could carry this out. Intra-Commonwealth Aid stands currently at over £350 millions, and Mr Heath adding that British Aid was already over the 1 per cent GNP hoped others would follow. Over 90 per cent goes to the Commonwealth, 60 per cent in grants and over 80 per cent of the loans, interest free. Canada's C1DA Budget likewise topped $560 millions. Shades of Ottawa 1932 emerged with surprising support for Commonwealth Preference even without Britain. This came from uneasiness in Fiji and other Sugars, despite the EEC guarantee of their 1.4 million ton export and the British cane sugar refineries, and because of European beet farm expansion. Canada, whose Commonwealth trade has increased hugely in the past decade — exports doubled, imports quadrupled, showed signs of leading this economic light. This, above all sessions, showed the Commonwealth as not a cosy club, but a brisk meeting of professionals. This was equally true of M. Trudeau's treasured, but rather squeezed out item on comparative techniques of government, on which an impressive document was circulated. For thirty-two nations, containing every kind of race, tribe and economic explosive mixture, it could have made dynamite. There was a brief vision at the Prime Minister's garden party of Gowan Biafra beset, as Sheikh Mujib demanded for seceded Bangladesh: Why don't you recognise me, my hand is as black as yours? And Whitiam, declaiming China's non-aggression before the ironic gaze of tiger Lee from the Lion City, already approaching the fact of Chinese guerrillas on his doorstep by way of the Japanese war-route down Malaysia. Canada's own bi-lingual and multi-cultural problems were dramatically displayed at a national ballet Feu Follet gala night for the whole conference. M. Trudeau, like General Smuts,
SpecThetator August 18,190 more appreciated abroad than at home, have done with that astute South Africati advice. For, throughout the Confere0 Eskimo and Indian land claims made the led3 headlines. There was never any hope of by-Passi,11„ Rhodesia. Mr Smith's ill-timed ANC arreS and well-timed campus riots only press': African demands for a special session. Le'l wingery, instead of the usual placards, rail, counter conference' at the UniversitY Ottawa, together with the Cinerns Solidarity.' The old circus of yesterday's 1112", descended from England: old Uncle Minty, Carlsson, Rubin et al. Only Tanzasg foreign minister still carried Singapore's torae for them. ZAPU's Edward Ndola demand Commonwealth support for their righteo revolution and rejected any negotiat, settlement. Rival ZANU's Makutu Mart ziripi (Zambia-based) rejoiced in his ganisation's murder of Rhodesian farmers 0 At the Conference proper the star turn undoubtedly our Ted. A gruelling ThursO held two long sessions, two speeches• press briefings and a garden party. Mr Head with skilful finesse took the heat outl Southern Africa by getting in first Uganda. The British view flatly denied MI'', expulsion to be a domestic issue; on the trary it affected others deeply, especiallY '31 tam, trying to create a just multi-raci society. But it was the sheer callous difference, to which Amin appeared oblivi°:$ which was stressed. Above all it Isa:p flagrant breach of the Singapore Declarat,fst: which Mr Heath quoted with sardonic rei:A on tolerance and racism. The theme Iv" ie racism is racism anywhere received gene y° support.
British policy on Rhodesia, since the monwealth regarded it as a British res,P"to sibility, was that a constitution acceptabt,,e Africans and others must be settled and T•W:t' Mr Smith and African leaders must worY (, themselves; they have to live together. Yip, zania still waving the strange device of l'op MAR went down fighting — and carne with the bizarre idea of a CommonwOk'Is Force, partly to ensure Mr Smith kept '01 word; partly, said Nyerere kindly, to prev,elo whites being ejected like Uganda Asians. at least showed an advance in Afric'o thinking: that an African government: might need a watchdog. Despite an inc`3,;01 statement that the Government was "no. interested in Commonwealth meetings c'ee vened solely for Brit-bashing, Mr Heath alace it clear he had found the Ottawa Conferlo 'good value' and looked forward to the II' whether in Nairobi, Kingston or London.
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