Sir Shridath pleads against tour

Press, 27 April 1984, Page 4

Sir Shridath pleads against tour

PA Wellington Commonwealth countries wanted to see the New Zealand Government make a genuine and wholehearted effort to stop next year’s planned All Black tour of South Africa, the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, Sir Shridath Ramphal, said yesterday. Sir Shridath said that the Commonwealth would expect any government in New Zealand to “pursue all avenues of discouragement.” His first priority, however, was to stop the English rugby tour of South Africa this year. The Commonwealth Games Federation’s code of conduct sets out procedures which make it possible for any Commonwealth Games association to be expelled from one or more Commonwealth Games.

The possibility of England being expelled was one option open to Commonwealth countries if the tour went ahead, Sir Shridath said. Each breach, each defiance, was an encouragement to others to do likewise. If the English tour went ahead there would be a very strong reaction to it. “I don’t think it would be a question of its going ahead with impunity,” he said. “The dangers for Edinburgh would be much greater. That is why there is something really rather selfish about our colleagues in the rugby fraternity in turning their backs on world-wide effort.” Sir Shridath is on a weeklong visit to New Zealand. He visited the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Thomson, and

the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lange, yesterday. He hoped that the planned All Black tour would not take place. An appeal to the rugby authorities should be made in terms of trying to convert them to the substantial international movement telling South Africa, “We cannot accept apartheid.” “It is about apartheid. Going to South Africa under New Zealand colours to play rugby helps the South African regime. It brings comfort to the supporters of apartheid,” Sir Shridath said. “What I think Commonwealth countries want, and I am sure African countries would expect in the New Zealand context, is a genuine effort, a wholehearted effort on the part of the Government to convey

to the rugby authorities that this is a terrible thing." The issue was about apartheid and would help the cause of apartheid, he said. “It is no good saying that you are asserting a freedom to play with whoever you want to. Everybody has that freedom. If you like, everyone has the right to do wrong but it remains wrong.” New Zealand had shown respect for the Gleneagles agreement in a wide range of sport by a lot of sports personalities and sacrifices made by individual sportsmen. “I would be sad if it were the case that New Zealand was seen only as the country which received the Springboks and is talking of an All Black tour in 1985,” Sir Shridath said.