Islamic body disappointed gambling bill not withdrawn for wider consultation
Stabroek News
January 21, 2007
A Muslim protestor near Avenue of the Republic on Friday while the Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Bill was being debated in parliament.
The Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT) has expressed disappointment that President Bharrat Jagdeo has not taken into account the views of the religious community in terms of withdrawing the Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Bill for wider consultation.
Head of the Guyana Islamic Trust Secretariat, Safdar Hussein told Stabroek News that in the light of the appeal by Muslims and other religious bodies, GIT was not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with the President. "We are disappointed. There is no way we could support casino gambling," he said.
The Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Bill is intended to facilitate casino gambling, an activity that the Baha'i, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities in Guyana are completely against.
The second reading of the bill and its passage in parliament was expected to go through yesterday but with stiff opposition from the PNCR-1G, AFC and GAP providing some 17 speakers and the government, 13, the debate was adjourned to Monday.
The government's13 took into account Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, who laid the bill in parliament, speaking twice-in the first instance to open the debate and in the second instance to round it off.
Only six speakers had made presentations, including Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad, who GINA quoted as saying that the restrictions imposed in the proposed law, are proof of considerations of views expressed by the religious communities.
Stating that there were MPs on the government benches who held religious convictions, Prashad said the conditions were applied because of respect for civil society and for the church.
Despite objections from the private sector that the law would exclude Guyanese, Prashad said the government adopted the Bahamian model which limits participation and entry to casinos.
Prashad said the government was supportive of religious views and was working to promote faith-based tourism.
However, Chairman of the Guyana Council of Churches (GCC) Rev Alphonso Porter told this newspaper that in discussions with President Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday, religious leaders had suggested, among their alternatives to casino gambling, hosting major international church conferences in Guyana. But he said the President did not appear to be too receptive to the idea.
Porter said that as part of Christian Unity Week activities, the GCC would continue to pray that good sense would prevail where the casino bill is concerned. A prayer service would be held at the Salvation Army Citadel on Alexander and South Road at 16:00 hrs today.
He said an invitation to attend the prayer meeting was extended to all Christian denominations. Christian Unity Week focuses on national issues and the introduction of casino gambling is one such issue.
After today's prayer meeting the leaders of the various Christian denominations are to meet to discuss the way forward. (Miranda La Rose)