Why the hypocrisy on Zimbabwe ?

[Salamuddin]

SO AUstralia decries the lack of democracy in Zimbabwe.....and won't send their cricket team over there.

Ok, I can accept that .....but is Australia prepared to boycott the Beijing OLympics next year ?
Hell after all, China just suppresses human freedoms and illegally occupies a whole country (Tibet) ?

What about the Pakistan tour next year - General Musharraf is nothing but a military dicatator who has curtailed democracy in Pakistan ?
But hey, he iss upposedly a valuable ally in the so-called "war on terror", so its ok to tour ?

C'mon where's the logic there.......?????

[Flem274*]

Originally Posted by Salamuddin

SO AUstralia decries the lack of democracy in Zimbabwe.....and won't send their cricket team over there.

Ok, I can accept that .....but is Australia prepared to boycott the Beijing OLympics next year ?
Hell after all, China just suppresses human freedoms and illegally occupies a whole country (Tibet) ?

What about the Pakistan tour next year - General Musharraf is nothing but a military dicatator who has curtailed democracy in Pakistan ?
But hey, he iss upposedly a valuable ally in the so-called "war on terror", so its ok to tour ?

C'mon where's the logic there.......?????

Money is more important in the political world than logic I'm afraid.

[LA ICE-E]

Originally Posted by Salamuddin

SO AUstralia decries the lack of democracy in Zimbabwe.....and won't send their cricket team over there.

Ok, I can accept that .....but is Australia prepared to boycott the Beijing OLympics next year ?
Hell after all, China just suppresses human freedoms and illegally occupies a whole country (Tibet) ?

What about the Pakistan tour next year - General Musharraf is nothing but a military dicatator who has curtailed democracy in Pakistan ?
But hey, he iss upposedly a valuable ally in the so-called "war on terror", so its ok to tour ?

C'mon where's the logic there.......?????

exactly, can't do something against a sports team because of their government even if the both mix.

[Bracken]

Originally Posted by Salamuddin

SO AUstralia decries the lack of democracy in Zimbabwe.....and won't send their cricket team over there.

Ok, I can accept that .....but is Australia prepared to boycott the Beijing OLympics next year ?
Hell after all, China just suppresses human freedoms and illegally occupies a whole country (Tibet) ?

What about the Pakistan tour next year - General Musharraf is nothing but a military dicatator who has curtailed democracy in Pakistan ?
But hey, he iss upposedly a valuable ally in the so-called "war on terror", so its ok to tour ?

C'mon where's the logic there.......?????

I agree with you completely. I would be happy if the west did boycott Beijing, and that Musharraf was regarded as a military dictator rather than some sort of "friend with a few flaws" as he is now.

That said, I would rather the powers-that-be make the right call on one of the three situations than on none of them.

[Langeveldt]

It's pretty diablocial that Beijing was even considered to be a viable venue for the Olympics.. How many journalists to they hold in prison? Is it something like 36?

[LA ICE-E]

Originally Posted by Bracken

That said, I would rather the powers-that-be make the right call on one of the three situations than on none of them.

That's not fair and is double standards and discrimination against zimbabwe.

[Salamuddin]

The thing that really irks me is the "holier than thou" attitude adopted by Western countries to Zimbabwe.

Ok Mugabe is an animal, but IF he had opened Zimbabwe's rich mineral deposits to exploitation by Western companies, do you honestly think criticism of him would be so strident ?

I've allways maintained that the attitude by guys like Howard and Blair to the regime in Harare is due more to other factors than pure concern for the plight of the Zimbabwean people.

[jot1]

If it wasn't for this sort of thing there would still be apartheid in South Africa so I'm inclined to go with it. Build a house one brick at a time. Change the world (for the better) one country at a time if that's what it takes.

[pasag]

Originally Posted by Salamuddin

The thing that really irks me is the "holier than thou" attitude adopted by Western countries to Zimbabwe.

Ok Mugabe is an animal, but IF he had opened Zimbabwe's rich mineral deposits to exploitation by Western companies, do you honestly think criticism of him would be so strident ?

I've allways maintained that the attitude by guys like Howard and Blair to the regime in Harare is due more to other factors than pure concern for the plight of the Zimbabwean people.

Do you claim the same hypocrisy on Stuart MacGill? (asking)

[Salamuddin]

Originally Posted by pasag

Do you claim the same hypocrisy on Stuart MacGill? (asking)

Will he sit out the Pakistan tour then on moral grounds ?


THe moment you mix sport and politics, you open up a whole Pandora's box.

[BoyBrumby]

Originally Posted by jot1

If it wasn't for this sort of thing there would still be apartheid in South Africa so I'm inclined to go with it. Build a house one brick at a time. Change the world (for the better) one country at a time if that's what it takes.

Agree with this 100%. If sport & politics didn't mix then the exclusion of SA for over 20 years is indefensible; when SA were excluded from cricket they were (arguably) the best team in the world. It meant guys like Richards, Rice & Proctor were denied the test careers that should've been their's as right. Despite that I really doubt too many people would argue that it wasn't the correct course of action, so I don't see any reason not to apply the same standard to Zimbabwe.

Plus, of course, there's the obvious cricketing reason that yer Zimbas are just no bloody good now they've been denuded of their best players.

[Salamuddin]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Agree with this 100%. If sport & politics didn't mix then the exclusion of SA for over 20 years is indefensible; when SA were excluded from cricket they were (arguably) the best team in the world. It meant guys like Richards, Rice & Proctor were denied the test careers that should've been their's as right. Despite that I really doubt too many people would argue that it wasn't the correct course of action, so I don't see any reason not to apply the same standard to Zimbabwe.

Plus, of course, there's the obvious cricketing reason that yer Zimbas are just no bloody good now they've been denuded of their best players.

THe tour is being objected to on moral grounds tho....
leaving aside the issue of how good Zimbabwe actually are, do you or jot honestly think that anyone would ever call for China's exclusion from the Olympics ?

I just don't buy the whole morality argument especially when it seems to apply in some cases and in others it doesn't.

[Neil Pickup]

The cases of Zimbabwe, Pakistan and China are not as similar as you are making out, though. If they were identical then the argument would be identical, but it isn't.

[Salamuddin]

Originally Posted by Neil Pickup

The cases of Zimbabwe, Pakistan and China are not as similar as you are making out, though. If they were identical then the argument would be identical, but it isn't.

Of course they're not going to be identical, they're different countries with different regimes and different crimes that have been committed.


THe basic principle is the same though......how can you object to touring Zimbabwe
and yet happily send your Olympic contingent to Beijing 2008. ?

[Perm]

Originally Posted by Langeveldt

It's pretty diablocial that Beijing was even considered to be a viable venue for the Olympics.. How many journalists to they hold in prison? Is it something like 36?

Weight of numbers.