NIBMAR or No Independence Before Majority Rule refers to the policy where Afro-Asian-Caribbean members of the British Empire were not to receive independence unless they had put in place democratic reforms resulting in majority rule rather than rule by the white colonial minority.
In particular, this position was advocated with respect to the future status of Rhodesia as a sovereign nation, and were heatedly pressuring British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, to adopt the approach during a 21 July, 1961 conference in London.
Wilson, however, was not inclined to do so. The row was settled when Canadian Prime Minister, Lester Pearson, formulated a draft resolution committing Wilson to NIBMAR. Pearson was to later 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).
References:
- Good, Robert C. U.D.I.: the International Politics of the Rhodesian Rebellion (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1973).
