wfn.org | TCN: Critics claim casinos cannot boost tourism in Penghu

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>2997 Edition

>August 3~9, 2009

Critics claim casinos cannot boost tourism in Penghu

>Reported by Lin Yi-ying

>Written by Lydia Ma

Taiwan’s Penghu Island will hold a referendum in September on  whether to build

casinos across Penghu. Organizations that oppose legalization of  gambling

predict this referendum might pass with a simple plurality vote.  If their prediction

is true, Penghu will soon become a haven for habitual gamblers and  crime.

In response, Taiwan Anti-Gambling Alliance has obtained support  from various

religious organizations who oppose gambling and partnered with  anti-gambling

organizations in Penghu to stage a rally just before the  referendum. These

organizations are determined to unmask the government’s ploy  because local

and national government agencies continue to claim that casinos  are merely

>means to boost tourism in Penghu.

“Which religion would agree that gambling is a rational and  normal activity?” said

Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) Church and Society Committee  Secretary

Chang Meng-yi. She went on to emphasize the PCT would fight  against building

casinos to the very end and also urged other Christian  denominations to join the

>PCT’s efforts.

According to reports, if the referendum passes in Penghu, casinos  in the form of

vacation resorts or hotels will soon spring up in Penghu and these  sites will be

considered as part of Penghu’s tourism industry. To deceive  the public and stem

opposition, Penghu County officials have repeatedly explained that  their focus is

on boosting tourism and gambling is merely a tool to attract  tourists to visit

>Penghu.

“The legality of this referendum in Penghu is very  questionable,” said Taiwan

Anti-Gambling Alliance leader Ven. Chao-Hwei, who doubts whether  lowering the

threshold so that the referendum will pass easily is actually  legal according to

national referendum regulations. The organization plans to consult  constitutional

experts on the legal technicalities of the upcoming referendum in  addition to

appealing to the Control Yuan – the agency in charge of  government

>investigations and auditing.

Ven. Chao-Hwei admitted frankly that using government institutions  to stop

casinos from being built is difficult when the Executive,  Legislative, and Judicial

branches of government are controlled by the KMT party. Appealing  to the

Control Yuan seems more feasible and was actually suggested by  Control Yuan

President Wang Chien-shien, a Christian who openly opposed  gambling in the

>past.

Building holiday resorts that promote gambling will not only ruin  adults but also

children who visit those resorts with their parents and watch  grown-ups gamble

away their lives, said Ven. Chao-Hwei. In the end, an entire  family and two

generations of people will be negatively affected and that is why  every religious

group in Taiwan is opposed to building casinos.

“The PCT General Assembly holds the same view as local  churches in Penghu.

Though there is a lot of pressure, our faith is firm and we will  definitely oppose

this to the very end!” said Chang. She added that from a  social, environmental,

economic, and moral standpoint, the gambling industry cannot be  allowed to

exist. Hence, many social organizations are speaking out publicly  ahead of the

>referendum to express their firm opposition.

Chang emphasized that no religious organization will condone  gambling as a

rational and normal activity and she questions the Ma  administration’s motives

for repeatedly attempting to convince the public that opening such  an industry will

>revitalize the country’s economy.

What seems more ironic to Chang is that the Ma administration is  planning to

spend more than $100 million NTD to enhance classes that teach  moral values in

curricula across Taiwanese schools while avidly supporting the  legalization of

gambling and casinos at the same time. She finds such conflicting  messages

>appalling, if not downright brainless.

According to reports, the process to legalize casinos in Penghu  has slowed

down recently amid strong public opposition to gambling, forcing  the Ma

administration to change course and resort to low-key or implicit  ways of

>promoting casinos.

Furthermore, international gambling corporations are mostly  interested in

building casinos in cities such as Taichung, Kaohsiung, Chiayi,  and have been

reserved and conservative when investing in Penghu. This  phenomenon has

fueled speculations about whether the casino industry will really  take off in

>Penghu as predicted.

As to whether casinos will really create job opportunities for  residents in Penghu

as government officials claim, Taiwan Anti-Gambling Alliance  points out that if

international gambling corporations begin to build casinos in  Penghu, they will

surely also bring foreigners who are experts in the field of  gambling to manage

these resorts as well. The chances of a local resident finding a  full-time job at a

casino that pays enough to make a living will be slim. The  Alliance is warning

Penghu residents to beware of falling for misleading reports or  speculations from

>the government.

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