The Greens have called for the Black Caps to cancel their upcoming tour of Zimbabwe - a call echoed by the Prime Minister as a "personal view". I agree wholeheartedly. The Zimbabwean government is a shitty little despotism which fixes elections, starves its political opponents, and engages in widespread human rights abuses - including torture. This is not the sort of regime we should be associating with, even on the sports field.
I'd suggest emailing New Zealand Cricket CEO Martin Sneddon to voice your opinion, but I don't have an email address for him. However, you could email Phil Goff to urge him to put his money where his mouth is and formally advise NZ Cricket that the tour will not be in New Zealand's foreign policy interests - or Don Brash, Peter Dunne, Peter Brown (because Winston still doesn't do email) and Rodney Hide to encourage them to declare their support for a boycott.
The government should ban NZ cricket going there - otherwise the ICC will just fine NZ cricket and they have to pay for what is a moral stance (not that that is not uncommon).
ReplyDeleteGenius: if the NZCC's contract with the ICC doesn't have a force majeure clause, they're complete morons. That said, as one of those namby-pamby supporters of civil liberties, I don't like the government telling people where they can and cannot go.
ReplyDeleteAs for the cost, it's apprarantly around $2 million. Which would be money well spent, IMHO.
hmmm... Better that foreigners tell New Zealanders what they can or cannot do.
ReplyDeleteThis is the same argument we have in England when a cricket tour to Zimbabwe is due. The government discourages the tour but is not prepared to instruct the cricket authorities to call it off. In the absence of a government order the cricket board has to go ahead with the tour to avoid ICC fines.
ReplyDeleteUntil the ICC decides to take the problems in Zimbabwe seriously the situation is not likely to change.
Sign the petition
ReplyDeletehttp://www.saynotozimtour.com/
If we banned all trade with Zimbabwe, themn presumably that would include a professional cricket tour.
ReplyDeleteThat's different from banning people from going there.
While I think that it would be in the best interests of everyone if New Zealand cancels the tour, I would like to know why no-one is calling for our atheletes to boycott the Olympics in China in 2008. Is it because we trade with China and not Zimbabwe? The New Zealand Breakers Basketball team is due to go there in a month or two - what about that?
ReplyDeleteThere is too much of a element of double standards here.
Sport and politics are hugely intertwined and not seperate. Imagine if Jess Owens had decided not to go to the 1936 games because he didnt like the Nazi government's racial attitudes?
China is not as bad as zimbabwae, and at least chinese govt is competent.
ReplyDeletehaving said that go ahead and call for a ban to us going to china I might support you after some thought. Your problem could be a large number of chinese voters.