Colin Cameron (Malawian politician) facts for kids

Colin Cameron (born 24 August 1933) is a Scottish lawyer and politician. He played an important role in the early 1960s as a government minister and a Member of Parliament (MP) in Malawi, which was then known as Nyasaland.

Early Life and Education

Colin Cameron was born on 24 August 1933, in Lanark, Scotland. He went to school at Uddingston Grammar School. Later, he studied law at the University of Glasgow, earning his law degree in 1957.

Moving to Nyasaland

After finishing his studies, Cameron saw a job advertisement in a newspaper for a lawyer in Blantyre, Nyasaland. The salary was much better than what he could earn in Glasgow. This good opportunity allowed him to get married. In June 1957, his request to move to the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was approved. Nyasaland is now known as Malawi.

Supporting Independence

Once in Nyasaland, Cameron traveled a lot and saw how people lived. He began to support the country's movement for independence from British rule. He also helped many local leaders who were arrested during a difficult time in March 1959. He defended them in court. In 1959, he joined the Church of Central African Presbyterian.

Entering Politics

In 1960, Cameron's work contract ended, and he went back to Scotland. However, Hastings Banda, a key leader in Nyasaland, invited him to return. Banda wanted Cameron to run in the elections that year.

Cameron agreed to run as an independent candidate who supported the Malawi Congress Party. He won one of the seats in the Soche area. After the election, he was appointed as the Minister of Works and Transport. Later, his role changed to Minister of Transport and Communications.

Re-election and Cabinet Role

In the 1964 elections, Cameron was re-elected. He was the only European person elected as a candidate for the Malawi Congress Party. After these elections, he became the Minister of Works. He was also the only European member in the first government cabinet after Malawi gained its independence.

Resignation and Later Career

On 29 July 1964, Colin Cameron resigned from the cabinet. He was the first minister to resign during what became known as the Cabinet Crisis. He resigned because he disagreed with President Banda's plan to bring back a law that allowed people to be held in prison without a trial. Cameron had previously criticized the British for using similar laws.

After leaving the government, Cameron went back to working as a lawyer. He even represented a former Minister of Education, Henry Masauko Blasius Chipembere, in a court case against President Banda. Because of this, Cameron had to leave Malawi in November 1964 for his own safety. He returned to Scotland and started his own law practice in Irvine.

In the 1990s, when Malawi brought back multi-party politics, Cameron was invited to become the Honorary Consul of Malawi in Scotland. This invitation came from the new President, Bakili Muluzi.