Casino gambling legislation…
PPP/C operating like “a thief in the night” - Corbin
Kaieteur News
November 21, 2006
The People's National Congress says President Jagdeo's recent announcement of enacting legislation to allow casino gambling in Guyana puts into perspective the pretence that consultative democracy exists in Guyana and puts a lie to the PPP/C's claims of inclusive governance.
Party Leader Robert Corbin stressed that the unilateral announcement by the President is yet another example of the failure of the PPP/C administration to honour its pledge to have consultation with stakeholders.
“ The ungodly PPP/C… and despite the talk of stakeholder participation and transparency, this PPP/C administration continues to operate like a thief in the night, restlessly searching for opportunities to enrich themselves and prolong their survival, ” Corbin opined.
Corbin expressed concern that extensive consultations with all the relevant stakeholders were not held on the issue before a decision was made.
He posited that government should have engaged religious organisations, women's and youth groups, as well as indigenous communities, the private and public sector and civil society.
However, the party leader believes that the President had no choice in the matter since commitments to grant casino licenses were made by him, prior to the national elections, to a number of hoteliers.
He reiterated a statement issued by him in February of this year when the proposal was first touted which said that “the Jagdeo administration has secretly committed itself to grant casino licenses to a number of hoteliers. The government and President Jagdeo remain mum as they prepare for an election campaign during which, despite voiced concerns of the religious community, they fail to mention that the issue of casino licenses was part of their post-election programme.” The accuracy of the PNCR's statement is now obvious, Corbin noted.
He expressed concern that Jagdeo has agreed to go ahead with the idea, though cognizant of the fact that throughout the world, casinos attract some of the most deviant and violent criminal minds. Casinos, Corbin opined, are often used as prime conduits to launder money and as places for narco-criminals to cluster and transact their drug business. Casinos are also notorious, in the developing world, for encouraging and fostering prostitution and a range of abuses directed primarily at women, children, indigenous people and vulnerable communities, the party said
“On all the fronts that characterise the right environment mentioned above, the PPP/C administration has failed to put in place the systems and capability to protect Guyanese, particularly the most vulnerable, from exploitation by unscrupulous criminal minds. It is as though a conspiracy exists between government and the underworld to impoverish, marginalise and criminalise the Guyanese people and economy.”
Corbin noted that at present Guyana is experiencing some of the most heinous and brutal manifestations of runaway crime, all happening against the background of a dying economy which can no longer deliver basic needs to the vast majority of its citizens.
“Casinos require strict regulation and integrity of relationship between the owners, the operators, the work force, the financiers, government and the law. The recent spate of crimes highlights what we all know, that Guyana's stock of social capital is rapidly diminishing and unless it is replenished there will be an acceleration in the country's decline.”
“Given that Guyana is now rated as one of the most corrupt countries on earth, none of us can be assured that all rules to protect Guyanese from the addictive influence of routine gambling will not be bent and flouted for a few dollars more, in the hands of the very people appointed to protect us……..”.
The PNCR says it remains committed to its earlier stated position and will be resolute in opposing these unilateral actions by the government.
Recently, President Jagdeo informed that in acknowledgment of the concerns expressed on the issue, the legislation, when enacted, will not allow for widespread gambling, but rather will be instituted in a controlled environment. Only four-star hotels with 250 rooms and more will qualify for licensing and only visitors to the country will be allowed use of the casinos.
Kaieteur News understands that the process is being fast-tracked to be completed in time for Cricket World Cup, next year.
The decision has also sparked criticism from the religious community.
The Guyana Council of Churches, which had initially expressed displeasure when the proposal for the establishment of a mature gambling environment in Guyana was touted earlier this year, expressed displeasure that despite promises, no consultations were held with the church before the decision was made.
This is in contravention of Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon's assurances at the time of Government's plans of addressing all concerns raised by social partners on the issue, before any firm decisions on the issue were made.
He had promised that every effort will be made to allay the fears of these groups following which national discourse will be conducted.
Head of the Guyana Council of Churches, Alphonso Porter expressed the view that the President's announcement that only visitors will be allowed to the casino is a pitiful attempt at pacifying the Christian community.
He questioned what mechanisms can be effectively employed to prevent locals from patronising the gambling casinos.
This sentiment was mirrored by head of the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG), Fazeel Ferouz.
He too questioned government's ability to effectively control the use of the casinos while reiterating firmly his organisation's opposition to any form of gambling.
President Jagdeo is of the view that the introduction of gambling could serve as a boost to the tourism sector.
Just recently, he highlighted this sector as one of three growth areas identified for presenting additional opportunities for Guyana.
Noting that other countries in the Caribbean such as Barbados and the Bahamas provide guests with casino gambling, Jagdeo posited that as President he has a responsibility to make Guyana a better tourism destination.
He noted that feasibility studies conducted on the basis of visitor arrivals show that no local hotel beyond the value of $US2-3M would be sustainable because of the low numbers of tourists here.
However, Pastor Porter believes that other economic ventures can be pursued in the tourism sector with better potential of enhancing the nation.
“Gambling destroys the moral fabric of society. There are other avenues available within the sector that can be more beneficial to the country such as eco-tourism, which can be a major boost to the sector if it is aggressively and effectively pursued,” the pastor stated.
In also questioning the mechanisms in place to disallow locals from frequenting the casinos, Corbin noted that there is no evidence that visitors will want to patronise any casinos established in Guyana.