Clark Helen: Motions — New Zealand Cricket—Tour of Zimbabwe 
Clark Helen: Motions — New Zealand Cricket—Tour of Zimbabwe 
[Volume:627;Page:21947] 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I move  
That this House noting with grave concern the oppression by the Government of Zimbabwe of its own people and its gross violation of human rights calls upon New Zealand Cricket to abandon the proposed Black Caps tour to Zimbabwe and urges the International Cricket Council to exclude Zimbabwe from international tours while gross human rights abuses continue in that country 
. The Government of Zimbabwe launched its abhorrent so-called “operation clear out rubbish” campaign on 19 May. It is estimated that more than 700000 people have been made homeless or jobless and that another 2.4 million have been affected to varying degrees. The victims represent some of the most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe. The New Zealand Government has long been outspoken against the growing authoritarianism and abuses of the Mugabe regime. We have spoken out about the corruption of the election process the abuse of human rights and the undermining of a free judiciary and media. We have condemned the mismanagement of a corrupt and self-serving regime that has destroyed the country’s economy and left 80 percent of the people unemployed. We deplore the near-halving of the life expectancy of Zimbabweans to 33 years. 
This latest action with the so-called “operation clear out rubbish” prompted the UN Secretary-General himself to send a special envoy to Zimbabwe to assess the situation. Her report released over the weekend said that the Zimbabwe Government’s campaign to demolish homes and displace people is a disastrous venture which has been carried out in an indiscriminate and unjustified manner with indifference to human suffering and in repeated cases with disregard to several provisions of national and international legal frameworks. Noting that the operation had precipitated a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions the special envoy called for it to stop immediately. 
It is against that background that the New Zealand Government along with I understand most political parties in this House has continually urged New Zealand Cricket to abandon the Black Caps tour of Zimbabwe. Most New Zealanders agree that playing cricket in Zimbabwe at this time of profound crisis is deeply inappropriate. New Zealand Cricket has undoubtedly been placed in a difficult position by the International Cricket Council. New Zealand Cricket is obliged either to carry out the tour or to face crippling financial penalties some of which would be payable to Zimbabwe. The New Zealand Government has asked the International Cricket Council to cancel the tour and to change its rules so that tours can be called off on the grounds of gross human rights violations. 
The International Cricket Council has refused and has made it clear that the imposition of penalties on New Zealand Cricket could be avoided only by the passage of legislation here in New Zealand making the tour to Zimbabwe illegal. The Government is not prepared to support such legislation. Freedom of passage to and from this country is a basic right enjoyed by New Zealanders. Two wrongs do not make a right and abrogating these particular rights is not an option for us. 
This motion calls on the International Cricket Council to act now in the interests of cricket and of the international reputation of the council. The New Zealand Government has also been in dialogue with a range of countries urging that pressure be brought to bear on Mr Mugabe and his Government to stop the destruction of homes and to restore good governance and the rule of law to Zimbabwe. 
This is the time for leadership from the wider international community. The United Nations Security Council and the Commission on Human Rights should not stand back. We also urge Zimbabwe’s neighbours in the Southern African Development Community to condemn the home clearance campaign by the Mugabe regime. We call on countries supporting that regime through military and other forms of assistance to cease such assistance. 
Through this motion the New Zealand Parliament urges New Zealand Cricket and the International Cricket Council to heed the call of public opinion in New Zealand and around the world and to abandon the Black Caps tour of Zimbabwe.