Mr. O'Brien,
F.P.A.D.
CS 18/5
Pensions Policy
The O.D.M. proposal that the constituent countries of the then Federation of Rhodesia and
Nyasaland should be excluded from take-over field
has not been received favourably here. Both Zambia and, more especially, Malawi have indicated that the Federation was an unwanted colonial imposition and they do not regard Federation as "independence". The reaction we can expect from Central Africa is likely to be "why should we continue to pay pensions to officers of a Federation imposed against our
wishes, when countries fortunate enough not to go through a "Federation" stage in their fight for independence are being let off the hook?"
2. I am researching the Federation files to
establish how the status of Public Servants was
affected by Federation, but no doubt the assessment in paragraph 2 of Appendix 6 to the O.D.M. paper correctly records the situation. The O.D.M. conclude, apparently, that we had no "interest" in the Federal Public Service and in support of this they cite the Central African Pension Fund set up on dissolution of the Federation; any deficiency in which, the U.K. Government funds 25% (paragraph 4 of appendix 6). I would have thought this would have established a definite "interest" in the
Federal Public Service.
3. In short then, we must, I feel, at this stage express to the O.D.M. the view that we would oppose the exclusion of the Central African countries from the take-over proposals.
(M.L. Dalton) Central and Southern African Department 13 November, 1969.
i