Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 25, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
A reclusive Russian mathematician won a million United States dollars for solving a complex mathematical problem. However, the Russian genius is not interested in collecting his prize and this led to some Russian groups demanding that he give it to them.
A million United States dollars is a lot of money to turn down. There are persons all over the world who would do wonders for less. In Guyana, if a million Guyana dollars were to be offered in a local quiz, there would be thousands of persons seeking to win the prize.
This is just one of the reasons why the local lotto is so successful. Many persons in Guyana, as elsewhere in world, want to have that opportunity of winning the jackpot and becoming rich overnight. A little luck can make a big difference and can overnight turn a pauper into a millionaire.
When the former President of Guyana, Dr Cheddi Jagan, gave the license to the present operators to run the lotto, the media questioned him about his government encouraging gambling. His response was “ life is a gamble.” In many ways it is.
But Cheddi had a special reason for not opposing this form of gambling. It was the author V. S. Naipaul who in one of his books who wrote about Cheddi getting a “lucky break” in life. It would clearly have cost a fortune for Cheddi’s dad to have sent him to the United States for studies.
So where did the poor sugar worker get the money from to pay for his son’s trip and initial studies? As the story goes, Cheddi’s father was a card gambler and won a lucky hand at a game of cards and it was this money that it is believed was used to send Cheddi away for studies.
In life we all need a lucky break. Right now there are Guyanese who would love to try their hand at casino gambling. Their argument is that if foreigners have the opportunity to come here and gamble why should they, the Guyanese, be denied the chance of also doing so.
The government had passed a law, which prohibits locals from entering the casinos licensed in the country. This came as a result of a compromise that was reached with the religious community who were concerned about the possible adverse effects of casino gambling on the society. So there is in place a law which states that locals ought not to be allowed entry into a casino.
And as the President once said to the opposition parties, “the law is the law” That is regardless of what objections one might have towards a specific law, it must be complied with. The President had made this remark in relation to the alleged failure of many opposition parliamentarians to file their declarations with the Integrity Commission.
Despite the opposition questioning the legality of the Integrity Commission and despite having filed action in the Courts in relation to this Commission, the President had insisted that the law was the law and must be complied with.
Well the law is also the law in relation to the casino gambling legislation and this legislation prohibits locals from casinos. Now we are told that even before the efficacy of the law has been tested, the government is contemplating reexamining the law since it creates a sort of “apartheid” situation.
This column believes that it is not desirable to have special laws for foreigners and special ones for locals in relation to activities on local soil.
The Constitution provides protection for discrimination based on place of birth and thus it is possible for the casino gambling legislation to be challenged in a court of law.
What is however interesting is the other rationale which was used by the President in expressing his discomfort with the present law. He said the Guyanese people should have a choice. Of course they should. Freedom is about choices and once public gambling is allowed, then Guyanese should have the choice to decide whether or not they wish to participate.
It is either there is no gambling or there is gambling. It cannot be gambling only for foreigners.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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