By DANA SMITH
Tribune Staff Reporter
dsmith@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie has questioned why the vote-no campaign is taking issue with the first referendum question when, they had opportunity to personally speak with him on the question, prior to its release.
The Bahamas Christian Council and the Save Our Bahamas Vote No Campaign sent a letter to Minister of National Security Bernard Nottage objecting to the wording of the referendum question: “Do you support the regulation and taxation of Web Shop gaming?”
They believe “regulation” should not be used, as this implies gambling is already legal; rather, they said, the “correct and transparent word” that should be used in its stead is ‘legalisation’.
Outside Cabinet yesterday morning, Mr Christie acknowledged the Council’s letter and said the government is currently communicating with them.
“I have put Dr Nottage in charge of that,” he said. “All communications are between the church and the ‘yes’ and the ‘no’ people are now with Dr Nottage who has the charge of the referendum and as far as I’m aware, they wrote him, he has replied to them.”
But, the prime minister continued: “The great difficulty about all of these things is I met with the church. I gave the church ample opportunity to look at the questions, to ask me any questions they wish to ask me. I answered all questions forthrightly, in a very candid way.
“I think we all agreed that was a very good meeting for its kind and it was only after the regulations had been promulgated – it had been, so to speak, institutionalized – that this has come up.”
Mr Christie did not say if the question would be changed but noted that a reply has been sent back to the Council and added: “It is what it is.”
Comments
dacy 11 years, 3 months ago
THESE MEN HAVE BEEN IN BEED WITH THIS DEVIL NAMED THE PLP FOR SO LONG. SO HERE WERE ARE, THE DEVIL IS NOW KING, WHAT DO YOU DO?
TalRussell 11 years, 3 months ago
Just you watch if the numbers "bosses" get their "YES" vote come January 28, 2013, how long it will take before they are knocking at the doors the PM"s and the Commish of the Policemen's, demanding the policemen's immediately conduct raids, arrest, charge and for the judges to jail anyone competing against their now licensed numbers web shops, cause like before a new bread of operators will spring up to replace them?
Like they are doing now, a new bread of numbers "bosses" will spring up to be tempted by the illegal profits to made selling numbers.
by TalRussell
legalmindatwork 11 years, 3 months ago
It shouldn't matter when the opportunity first arose to question the PM about the wording of the question. It's as if he's placing the blame the vote no campaign for waiting to question him and his cabinet, but if the questions only recently came out then what is to be expected. A simple solution would be to change the question not entertain them for a time and then still go ahead as if their voices should not be heard.
JohnDoe 11 years, 3 months ago
What short memory the PM has! I recall during the last attempted referendum the PM and PLP supporting the referendum, even voting for it in Parliament, until the questions came out and they changed their minds because purportedly the questions were not clear. Now today, the man with no horse in the race, is questioning and scoffing at the very same bahaviour he and his government engaged in just several years ago. As I have said before, during the last attempted referendum, I remember ArchBishop Gomez all over the airwaves talking about how the process was flawed. That referendum was attempting to enfranchise over 50% of our population with long overdue rights, a noble cause by any measure. Today, on a cause whose social consequences are arguably negative, we have not heard a public word from him and this process appear to be much more flawed.
Oracle 11 years, 3 months ago
I Have never seen EVIL and arrogance so personified....your name sir will be dung.
BahamasGamingAssociation 9 years, 9 months ago
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bahama...">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bahama...
WHICH ON OF THE BELOW REIGNS SUPREME IN THE BAHAMAS?
The Bahamas Lottery and Gaming Act Chapter 387 Section 50 Persons prohibited from Gaming
Or
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Chapter III – Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedom of the Individual. Section 26 Protection from Discrimination on grounds of Race, Place of Origin etc.
The Bahamas Gaming Association stands by the Ideology that all human beings who are 18 years or older should be treated equally in all sectors of the Bahamian Economy which is enshrined in the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
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