Last roll ofdice for casino bill
Will it go to select committee?
By Miranda La Rose
Stabroek News
January 19, 2007
Given the raging controversy over the casino gambling bill there is an expectation that it would be sent to a select committee prior to passage based on parliamentary precedent and today's key sitting will be presided over by Deputy Speaker Clarissa Riehl.
Speaker Ralph Ramkarran has proceeded on six weeks leave and as has happened before PNCR-1G MP Riehl will sit in his place.
The Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Bill is being fiercely opposed by the major religions in the country and the main opposition PNCR-1G has also signalled that it will vigorously oppose it.
The religious community, which strongly opposes the passage of the bill has written a letter to President Bharrat Jagdeo requesting an urgent meeting with him to express their concerns before parliament convenes today.
Stabroek News understands that the letter was delivered to State House yesterday but up to press time there was no response to it. The letter was signed by representatives of the Baha'i, Christian and Muslim communities.
After the bill paving the way for the legalising of casino gambling was laid in parliament on January 11, the joint Christian community forwarded a petition to parliament which was presented by PNCR-1G MP Volda Lawrence.
The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana had also distributed letters to the Members of Parliament asking that they vote against the bill.
Asked at a press conference held by the joint religious community at the Guyana Islamic Trust Headquarters on Lombard Street on Wednesday whether they had any positive feedback from any government MPs on the issue since the bill was laid, the answer was negative.
It is expected that the government, using its majority in parliament, would be pushing forward the passage of the bill to facilitate casino gambling in time for the Cricket World Cup. Guyana would be hosting six Super Eight matches from March 28 over a two-week period.
It is thought that the passage of the bill is being accelerated to coincide with the opening of Buddy's International Hotel which has facilities for casino gambling and which is scheduled for inauguration in mid-February.
While the bill is being considered, the Christian community will mass at the St Andrews Kirk Congregational Church opposite Parliament Buildings to pray for it not to be passed.
When contacted last evening President of the Guyana Council of Churches, Reverend Alphonso Porter told Stabroek News that the Christian community has picketed and petitioned parliament and could have utilised other avenues such as seeking an injunction but they simply believe in the power of God.
Asked whether there was any provision for sending a contentious bill to any committee for review, Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs told Stabroek News yesterday that there was no provision in the Standing Orders but said that the Parliamentary Management Committee took the decision sometime ago that all voluminous, complicated and contentious bills be sent to a select or sectoral committee.
He said that based on the requests that his office has been receiving and the general debate in the public on the gambling prevention amendment bill, he feels that it might warrant some attention in one of the committees but a decision would have to be taken by the House on the issue.
AFC MP Sheila Holder whose motion in parliament calling for the bill to be deferred until a study was done to assess the impact was defeated, told Stabroek News that the bill was contentious enough to warrant committee treatment. However, she added that based on all indications from the government MPs, the government was comfortable that there was no need for further consultations since it already has the majority in parliament.
Noting that the religious communities comprise the majority of Guyanese and should have the power to influence change, Holder said, "The question is whether their influence is greater than those promised casino licences."
She feels that if there was no nexus between the Cricket World Cup and the issuing of a licence to Buddy's Hotel there would be no rush to push the bill through parliament.
The bill to be debated today, makes provision for the establishment of not more than three casinos in each administrative region, for newly built hotels with no less than 150 rooms or resorts that must meet certain criteria, for guests of the hotel, and for the establishment of a gaming authority.
Conscience
Meanwhile, Members of Parliament (MPs) on the government side are not expected to vote their conscience today.
Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon told members of the media yesterday at a post-Cabinet briefing that he doubted whether any of the government ministers or MPs who sit at the level of Cabinet would want to go the way of requesting a "conscience vote".
"I don't think that a responsible MP and minister, particularly one who subscribes to the collective responsibility which is a function of Cabinet decision making … would want to move to formally request a conscience vote," he said.
Luncheon said the administration and MPs have had a variety of fora on innumerable occasions at which support for the enactment of the legislation was clearly identified.
The cabinet secretary said he sensed that a resort to a conscience vote might seem advisable on an issue of greater magnitude, for instance, if the country were to decide whether it would go to war or another matter with such enormity.
"We're dealing here with government policy adopted at cabinet and one cannot move forward with the demands of government without recognizing collective responsibility… once cabinet members endorse the presentation of the bill to parliament, I have, personally and otherwise, reservations [about] the resort to a conscience vote," Luncheon added.
He reiterated too that all cabinet members were collectively responsible as the decision to move to amend the prevention of gambling legislation was a cabinet proposal. "It would seem a little difficult for a governing MP to either abstain [from], or worse yet, oppose the passage of this legislation."
On Wednesday the three major religious groups and the Baha'i faith issued a joint call for the government to withdraw the Gambling (Amendment) Bill.
The statement was submitted by the Anjuman Hifazatul-Islam, the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), the Guyana Council of Churches, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT), the Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly, Georgetown Ministers' Fellowship, the Guyana Evangelical Fellowship and the Guyana Islamic Relief Organisation (GIRO).
It called on the leadership of each political party to allow their MPs to vote according to their consciences, and not according to the party line.
The religious leaders also want members of the public to urgently contact MPs to express dissatisfaction with the lack of proper consultation and to encourage them to vote against the passage of the bill. (Additional reporting by Heppilena Ferguson)