Fiji Cricket Visit Shows Up "Clayton's" Sports Boycott

Green MP Keith Locke says the "Clayton's" sports boycott of Fiji has been highlighted once again after the discovery that the Fijian cricket team will be playing the New Zealand Maori team in today's final of the Pacifica Cricket Championship.

"The boycott is so full of holes, it has virtually sunk without trace," said Mr Locke, the party's foreign affairs spokesperson.

"It is absurd to allow Fijian teams to come here to play in "tournaments" where other countries than New Zealand are also represented."

"Under this guise we're hosting Fiji's most famous team, the rugby sevens, in Wellington this weekend, and its cricket team in Auckland this week.

Mr Locke said while the state of the boycott was laughable, the lack of democracy in Fiji was no laughing matter.

"We are sending quite the wrong message to Fiji just over a week before the Court of Appeal rules on whether the 1997 constitution is still valid.

"If the Court rules that it is, the pressure has to go on the military and the interim government to accept that reality and return to democracy in Fiji.

"This is not the time for countries like New Zealand to go soft on Fiji," said Mr Locke.

Keith Locke MP: (04) 470 6710 or 025 528 353 Gina Dempster, press secretary: (04) 470 6710 or 025 528 353

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