Oral Answers to Questions — Sarawak – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 22 January 1947.
Mr Luke Teeling
, Brighton
12:00,
22 January 1947
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on the resignation, on or about 20th December, 1946, of 21 of the leading officials in the Sarawak Government; and who have replaced them.
Mr. Creech Jones:
On 20th December a circular was issued, by the Governor's direction, requiring any member of the Sarawak Government Service who felt unable to serve that Government with the loyalty it is entitled and obliged to demand of its servants, to notify the authorities accordingly by 31st December. The circular was sent to 2,509 Government servants, including 49 Europeans, 1,371 Malays, 426 Chinese and 456 Dyaks. My latest information is that notice of resignation has been received from 335 officials, of whom all but three were Malays. Of the 332 Malays who have resigned, some 90 per cent. live in one particular area where the influence of the Malay National Union is predominant. They submitted their resignations on printed forms supplied by the Malay National Union, and many of them informed their Departmental Heads privately that they were acting contrary to their real wishes because of pressure brought to bear on them, or their families, and fear of social or religious boycott. Those who have resigned will be granted special retirement terms. As regards the last part of the Question, the Majority of the resignations do not take effect for three months. I have, as yet, no information about the arrangements for replacements, but I understand that no functional breakdown of any Government Department is anticipated.
Mr Luke Teeling
, Brighton
In view of the fact that we have not yet seen the actual Deed of Cession, and that the matter remains open until finally decided by the Privy Council, is it right that these people should be forced to resign before the matter is finally decided? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that these 21 people to whom I have referred were heads of Government Departments?
Sir Godfrey Nicholson
, Farnham
Can the right hon. Gentleman say what terms of compensation, if any, are offered to these persons?
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
The Privy Council goes back to the earliest days of the Monarchy, when it comprised those appointed by the King or Queen to advise on matters of state.
As the constitution developed into today's constitutional monarchy, under which The Sovereign acts on the advice of Ministers, so the Privy Council adapted. Its day to day business is transacted by those of Her Majesty's Ministers who are Privy Counsellors, that is all Cabinet Ministers and a number of junior Ministers. Membership of the Privy Council brings with it the right to be called "Right Honourable".
The Privy Council still meets regularly, on average once a month, but, as with the Cabinet, most of its business is transacted in discussion and correspondence between its Ministerial members and the Government Departments that advise them. The Privy Council Office (which is itself a Government Department) provides a secretariat for these discussions, as the Cabinet Office does in relation to the business of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees. Councils are held by The Queen and are attended by Ministers and the Clerk of the Council. At each meeting the Council will obtain Her Majesty's formal approval to a number of Orders which have already been discussed and approved by Ministers, much as Acts of Parliament become law through the giving of the Royal Assent after having been debated in Parliament.
Meetings are reported in the Court Circular, along with the names of Ministers attending (usually four in number). The Orders made at each Council are in the public domain, and each bears the date and place of the Council at which it was made. There is therefore nothing at all "secret" about Privy Council meetings. The myth that the Privy Council is a secretive body springs from the wording of the Privy Counsellor's Oath , which, in its current form, dates back to Tudor times. It requires those taking it to "keep secret all matters...treated of in Council". The Oath (or solemn affirmation for those who cannot take an Oath) is still administered, and is still binding; but it is only in very special circumstances nowadays that matters will come to a Privy Counsellor on "Privy Council terms". These will mostly concern matters of the national interest where it is important for senior members of Opposition parties to have access to Government information.
