No independence before majority rule

No Independence Before Majority Rule. On 21 July, 1961, during a conference in London, the Afro-Asian-Caribbean members of the Commonwealth advocated this position with respects to the future status of Rhodesia as a sovereign nation, and were heatedly pressuring British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, to adopt the approach. Wilson, however, was not inclined to do. The row was settled when Canadian Prime Minister, Lester Pearson, formulated a draft resolution committing Wilson to NIBMAR. Pearson was to later to recall: “I wasn’t sure whether I was being asked to commit polygamy or incest, but whatever it was, I did it.” The accomplishment was short-lived, however, as Wilson continued to extend offers to Ian Smith which came considerably short of NIBMAR (offers which Smith nonetheless ultimately rejected).