Dear Editor,
John Locke said, "I have always thought the actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts." The gambling referendum has long gone and Bahamians now find themselves in a quandary. According to Sebas Bastian, CEO of Island Luck, web shops are losing business and many young Bahamians find themselves in danger of being laid off. He said you could land a 747 jet in one of his web shops and there would be no casualties. That is how slow business is. Many Bahamians believe the gambling referendum was botched. They believe that the Christie administration handled the whole process with kid gloves. I believed that too. But my mind has since changed.
Perry Christie said that he had no horse in the race and at the time many of us did not believe him. We believed that he was being a novice by saying that he was neutral on the gambling issue. How could he be neutral when Bahamians stood to lose thousands of jobs? How could he be neutral when unemployment would rise? How could he be neutral when social services would be stretched to the brink of collapse? There was a bigger picture in mind. You have to understand that our governments, past and present, are not as naive as we are led to believe. I contend that there has to be a concerted effort to keep Bahamians as workers in their country as opposed to being owners.
Just last week, The Nassau Guardian announced that mobile gaming will start in short order. Atlantis signed a deal with a company in Las Vegas to provide mobile gaming to tourists. They will be able to download an application and play all sorts of casino games like slots and poker that were not previously available. Get this, the government has already drafted the bill and plans to present this to the House of Assembly shortly with the goal in mind of passing it. A leading hotel executive said that all kinds of jobs would be created from this new legislation and that The Bahamas could see as much as $220 million a year. Does this sound familiar? When are we going to realize that Bahamians do not only want jobs, but we want ownership?
Let me tell you why this gambling referendum was a well-orchestrated plan by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). Look at the following points:
o The government intentionally did not address the whole issue of gambling. A thorough process would have addressed Bahamians' ability to legally gamble in the casino, in web shops and enter the mobile market from not only a local but an international perspective as owners. We would have created many Bahamian multimillionaires if the government wanted to put in the framework for Bahamians to truly profit from this industry.
o The government, as it always does, is again saying to Bahamians to be happy with a few high-paying jobs and hundreds of nine to five backbreaking careers.
o Atlantis and Baha Mar will now reap billions of dollars annually from the new legislation that the government will so proudly present to Parliament next week. When are we going to bring legislation to the table that will allow Bahamians to thrive in their own country?
o I agree with the rule of law, but any way you look at this whole gambling issue, patriotic Bahamians cannot feel good about themselves.
o Notice how the government has stated that it will tighten up on work permits. I applaud it for this newly-stated policy. Could it be thought that they are trying to fill the job losses that will occur if and when web shops lay off Bahamian workers?
Will the government now exercise wisdom and also pass legislation to keep the web shops open and allow Bahamians to truly profit from an industry worth billions of dollars? Time will tell. I really see now what Christie was saying when he said he had no horse in this race. He was right. We as Bahamians were watching the wrong derby and the wrong race.
- Dehavilland Moss
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