"The Union Government cannot hope to swim against the tide of history much longer. Its policy of apartheid has been decisively rejected by the overwhelming majority of the people, and must give way to a policy of human respect, racial tolerance and equal and direct say for all in the government of the country, if South Africa is to be saved from impending national chaos," Dr. Y. M. Dadoo, president of the South African Indian Congress, declared in a New Year message to all the people of South Africa, both European and Non-European.

"The Nationalist Government, mainly concerned with the implementation of its policy of apartheid, and paying scant attention to the burning question of high cost of living, housing and other essential needs of the people, is rapidly bringing matters to a head.

"Never have race relations been worse; never have the non-European people felt the tyranny of racialism more; and never has South Africa been more discredited in the outside world than now.

A.N.C. Warning

"A grave warning on the developing crisis in the country has been sounded by the conference of the African National Congress which met recently at Bloemfontein. The Conference, a most representative body of ten million African people, has called upon the Government to repeal some of the most vicious apartheid laws by the end of February, failing which the Conference has made a grim resolve to undertake a prolonged and protracted mass struggle of defiance against these laws.

"It would be a fatal error for the Government and the European people to dismiss this resolution lightly, for it manifests the stirrings of the Non-European people against conditions which cannot be tolerated any longer. The days are long past when the feeling and aspirations of the non-white people anywhere in the world can be looked down upon with contempt."

Urging the Government to act upon the A.N.C. conference resolution, in the interests of peace and the well being of South Africa, Dr. Dadoo made a special appeal to European South Africa:

"I appeal to the European people to view the whole situation in its proper perspective and not be blinded by colour and race prejudice. They are solely responsible for the election of the government of the country and in this hour of crisis it is their scared duty effectively to stop the Government from a course which can only lead to national disaster."

Dr. Dadoo called upon the Non-European people, African, Coloured and Indian to prepare themselves for the coming struggle.

Implement Decision

"The decision of the African National Congress must be implemented by us together with all those Europeans who are prepared to help us in the struggle.

"This must be done without malice or racial hatred. With unflinching determination we must suffer and sacrifice, act in a disciplined and organised manner until the evils of racialism are eliminated and our country, South Africa, assumes her rightful place in the comity of peoples as a genuine democratic state fighting for peace and progress."

Dr. Dadoo said it was not unnatural that the African National Congress should evolve a form of struggle peculiarly South African and born out of conditions in this country.

"The movement for the defiance of unjust laws as outlined by the African National Congress is as historical in its significance as have been mass movements of liberation in other lands. This in itself is a guarantee of its success and therefore not to be treated lightly. Whoever thought that in so short a time the Gandhian form of struggle would pave the way for India's liberation or that Nkrumah's movement in the Gold Coast would set the colony on the road to self-government?

"May 1952 ensure world peace and may our people bring to an end apartheid and racialism and oust the Nationalists from power! Therein lies the path to peace on earth and goodwill to all men."

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