Legalised, regulated and taxed gambling/gaming is a crutch for poor or lazy financial governance. A government bereft of economically progressive ideas and vision will rely on this industry to try to make up for their inability to balance and maintain a budget and provide economic growth.
While focusing on legalizing a widespread illegal activity the government continues to ignore the real promise of economic growth potential in untapped industries in The Bahamas such as Aragonite, Salt and Aggregate. The government has provided lacklustre support for the Fisheries and Agricultural industries and has yet to seek to assist and ensure Bahamian ownership of these industries inclusive of the salt industry.
Instead of empowerment of the people we are being asked to support empowerment of the few resulting in the enslavement of many to deepening poverty and gambling addictions.
Instead of investing in an economically progressive industry we are asked to support an economically regressive industry.
A Yes vote will allow the government to collect some revenue – not an inconsequential amount but nothing nearly sufficient enough to remove the years of excessive borrowing. At the end of the day we will still be face with growing debt and a shortfall in ability to meet its payments.
We as a people need to realize we are worth more than pipe dreams based on luck and chance. We deserve an investment in a viable and sustainable future for our country and the country we desire to be the inheritance of our children and their children.
We also deserve a government that seeks the will of the majority over the interests of the few. As has been aptly pointed out by Myles Munroe “If a small group of lobbyists pressures the government legitimately voted into power to legitimise their personal interests, then we will not have a pure government.”
We cannot support this referendum in good conscience (in my opinion) and we cannot continue to be silent as governments continue to seek to satisfy the special interests to the detriment of the majority of Bahamians.
As someone told me 15 years ago and it remains true today, the government is busy fighting over the scraps around the table that they have neglected the feast on the table. I would add that as they fight over the scraps there is certainly far less to share between the rest of us.
Don’t accept a substitute for Bahamian empowerment and revenue generation, tell the government to give us true economic growth and empowerment!
S. Timothy Roberts
Abaco, Bahamas
January, 2013
