The shame game

Anyone who has followed the sad decline of life in Zimbabwe will be familiar with the way that democracy there works. The process appears on the surface to be just about surviving, but it's a thin veneer. Underneath, opposition is crushed and cronyism reigns supreme.

The unveiling of the new constitution planned for Zimbabwe Cricket would be funny if it wasn't so sad. The only people who are likely to be happy are the cabal running the show and the ICC, who will point to a new democratic process as a sign that all is well.

The new 12-man board consists of seven people appointed by a government whose respect of the electoral process is non-existent. Those seven have a controlling majority, will serve for four years, and will run the show, accountable to no-one except, ultimately, Robert Mugabe or his appointees.

The other five representatives come from the provincial organisations. Even they are not democratically representative. The long-established provinces run by and accountable to stakeholders were disbanded by the board last month and replaced by new provinces populated by people whose combined relevance to cricket could be discussed and dismissed in seconds. They were all appointed by the board which was itself put in place by the government and which had faced open rebellion. Democracy Zimbabwe style.

The irony is that all this has come to light in the same week that FIFA, the world governing body of football, banished the Greek FA after it grew unhappy that it was being increasingly controlled by the government. FIFA is not always known for its embrace of the democratic process, but in this instance it did step in.

Contrast that to the supine stance taken by the ICC. Its response to a deteriorating situation inside Zimbabwe has been to repeatedly and consistently flat-bat requests that it take some action by turning the other way and insisting that it was a local issue beyond its remit.

What is more, the new constitution will ensure that ZC chairman Peter Chingoka, a man who last year was almost toppled by stakeholders and who still faces serious allegations about the board's management, is safe. Safe from having to account to anyone inside Zimbabwe and safe from answering potentially tricky questions. The results of an independent audit into the board's finances is still pending, but don't hold your breath. The word independent has about as much validity as the word democracy.

And just in case those pesky stakeholders do still refuse to play ball, the new constitution bans the provinces from tabling any motion of no confidence. Game, set and match.

The ICC, however, continues to welcome Chingoka and recognise him as the one true voice of Zimbabwe cricket, despite the evidence which they are fully aware of, and of repeated pleas from within the country for help which are brushed aside.

Ehsan Mani, the outgoing ICC president, told Cricinfo that provided a board follow their constitution, "with recourse to the law and the courts, we've got to respect that. We can't come in and be prescriptive, and say we don't accept what your constitution says, your laws, your high court."

But at the same time, what if the very constitution itself is clearly undemocratic and designed with no other purpose than to crush opposition and maintain the controlling elite? Mani said that the ICC would ask for an independent report. And who is entrusted to compile that? Zimbabwe Cricket.

No-one comes out of this with any credit. Given the way of life in Zimbabwe, the actions of the board and government are of no surprise. What's the ICC's excuse?