New Zealand’s Parliament on Tuesday called on the national cricket team to abandon a tour to Zimbabwe, in a symbolic gesture a day after the team left for Africa to prepare for the series.
Prime Minister Helen Clark introduced the resolution, which expressed grave concern at human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and called on New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to abandon the tour. The resolution also urged the International Cricket Council to exclude Zimbabwe from international tours.
”We have condemned the mismanagement of a corrupt and self-serving regime which has destroyed the country’s economy and left 80% of the people unemployed,” Clark said.
”Most New Zealanders agree that playing cricket in Zimbabwe at this time of profound crisis is deeply inappropriate.”
The vote was 110-10, with only MPs from two minor parties voting against it.
The team left on Monday for Namibia to prepare and play warm-up matches before going to Zimbabwe on August 4.
The New Zealand government has refused to legislate to ban the tour, the only way NZC could have avoided a fine of at least two $2-million for pulling out.
NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said his organisation understood the views of those opposed to the tour.
”New Zealand Cricket, however, has a contractual obligation to tour Zimbabwe under the ICC future tours programme. The parliamentary motion does not change this obligation,” he said.
”The consequences of not touring are open ended and would be disastrous to all levels of the game of cricket in New Zealand.
A UN report last week said the campaign by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s government to demolish townships had left 700 000 Zimbabweans homeless and destitute and affected a further 2,4-million. – Sapa-AFP