Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Maps, Photographs & Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Note on Terminology
- Glossary
- Map 1 Malawi Region, late 19th century
- Map 2 Malawi, mid-twentieth century
- Map 3 Southern Malawi
- Introduction
- 1 The Land & the People
- 2 Commerce, Christianity & Colonial Conquest
- 3 The Making of the Colonial Economy, 1891–1915
- 4 Religion, Culture & Society
- 5 The Chilembwe Rising
- 6 Malawi & the First World War
- 7 Planters, Peasants & Migrants: the Interwar Years
- 8 The Great Depression & its Aftermath
- 9 Contours of Colonialism
- 10 The Age of Development
- 11 The Urban Experience
- 12 Peasants & Politicians, 1943–1953
- 13 The Liberation Struggle, 1953–1959
- 14 The Making of Malawi, 1959–1963
- 15 Prelude to Independence: Unity & Diversity
- 16 Revolt & Realignment, 1964–1966
- Bibliography
- Index
15 - Prelude to Independence: Unity & Diversity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Maps, Photographs & Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Note on Terminology
- Glossary
- Map 1 Malawi Region, late 19th century
- Map 2 Malawi, mid-twentieth century
- Map 3 Southern Malawi
- Introduction
- 1 The Land & the People
- 2 Commerce, Christianity & Colonial Conquest
- 3 The Making of the Colonial Economy, 1891–1915
- 4 Religion, Culture & Society
- 5 The Chilembwe Rising
- 6 Malawi & the First World War
- 7 Planters, Peasants & Migrants: the Interwar Years
- 8 The Great Depression & its Aftermath
- 9 Contours of Colonialism
- 10 The Age of Development
- 11 The Urban Experience
- 12 Peasants & Politicians, 1943–1953
- 13 The Liberation Struggle, 1953–1959
- 14 The Making of Malawi, 1959–1963
- 15 Prelude to Independence: Unity & Diversity
- 16 Revolt & Realignment, 1964–1966
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Internal divisions
At the Marlborough House conference in November 1962, Dr Banda looked back with justifiable pride on his party's ‘successful and creditable performance in office’. A range of important legislative measures had been introduced; Chiume, Chisiza and particularly Banda himself had delivered a number of eloquent and forceful speeches in the Legislative Council; all the ministers had demonstrated a capacity to master their portfolios that the experienced Henry Phillips found very impressive. Banda could legitimately deride the many critics who had forecast administrative and financial disaster. Yet, these early sessions of the Legislative Council had also brought into focus tensions that were to erupt into open division less than two years later.
A key issue concerned the conduct of proceedings. In the early meetings, backbenchers and ministers alike raised questions and brought up sensitive issues with a frankness that would later be regarded as unthinkable. Dunduzu Chisiza led the way in calling for Chipembere's release from prison and in advocating the abandonment of English as the sole language to be used in parliament. Other members followed his example by raising questions on such sensitive issues as the differential treatment of black and white civil servants in the allocation of houses and provincial variations in the allocation of bursaries.
Within a matter of months, however, this display of very limited independence had been largely abandoned. In the first session, Banda made clear, in comments greeted with laughter and applause, that, ‘Under our custom… I here am the father of all my boys behind me.… when I leave the house I go home, I talk to them like children and they shut up.’
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- A History of Malawi1859-1966, pp. 403 - 428Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2012