(In February 1948, General Smuts made a statement in Parliament that he did not recognise the principles of equality between races. This statement provoked sharp criticism from the President of the Transvaal Indian Congress, Dr. Dadoo, who in a press statement said the following).
This statement of the Prime Minister does not bring any credit to the international reputation of General Smuts nor does it place our country in favourable light among democratic nations.
It flays wide open the covering of hypocrisy with which the whole concept of the British Commonwealth of Nations is bound. The concept of the British Commonwealth of Nations, as enunciated by General Smuts himself, of being a voluntary association of nations of equal status bound by common loyalty to the Crown - a principle towards which, we are told, every British Dominion is gradually advancing, will certainly have serious repercussions as a result of General Smuts' statement.
It raises a question of fundamental importance as to whether the non-white peoples of the Commonwealth who constitute an overwhelming majority of its population, can with honour and self-respect remain within a Commonwealth wherein there is inequality between white and non-white. As it is, in Commonwealth relations, white South Africa will have to contend with three non-white governed Dominions of Pakistan, India and Ceylon.
The one-time British possession, Burma, which had the choice of remaining within or without the British Commonwealth of Nations, decided to break away completely from British and Commonwealth connections.
The Prime Minister's statement goes to emphasise the wisdom of the Burmese decision. It poses a challenging problem before India, Pakistan and Ceylon, whether they could remain within an association of nations whose constituent member preaches and practises the theory of racial superiority and flatly refuses to recognise the equality of races, a fundamental concept to which the nations of the world, including South Africa, have pledged by becoming signatories to the United Nations Charter.
General Smuts has recently declared his willingness to meet India and Pakistan at a Round Table Conference to discuss the South African Indian question. General Smuts should realise that he cannot expect to sit with India and Pakistan on a basis of inequality of status. He would do well to recall Mahatma Gandhi`s last declaration on South Africa wherein he stated: "India and South Africa now enjoy an equal independent status in the British Commonwealth. The fact that one party is white and the other brown should not be the cause of any dispute."