The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

THE FNM is calling on Bahamians to vote “no” in the upcoming web-shop referendum if the government fails to clear up the “national confusion” over the issue.

At the party’s headquarters yesterday afternoon, opposition leader Dr Hubert Minnis declared: “We have arrived at a point where there are very deep concerns as to the process used, the true intentions, and the competence of the governing PLP’s handling of this matter of critical national, economic and social importance.”

He demanded answers to a series of questions which inquire about the integrity of the government’s consultant report and $20 million tax revenue prediction, among other things.

The answers to the party’s questions will aid Bahamians to “best decide” what’s in the nation’s interest, he claimed.

“Let me be very clear as to the FNM’s position on this issue: the decision of whether to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is a matter of conscience for every individual,” Dr Minnis said.

“It is, however, the duty of the FNM to ensure that the law of the Bahamas is strictly followed and that people are properly equipped with all relevant information necessary for them to make an informed decision, based upon factual information.”

He claimed the Prime Minister has “publicly lurched from pillar to post from a much-heralded referendum to a possible opinion poll” based upon “yet-to-be-received” legal advice.

“The Prime Minister initially spoke of a national lottery, then changed his initiative to limit his proposal to web shops,” Dr Minnis said.

“He announced in Parliament that he had done so based upon the recommendations of paid consultants made in a report, then announced, when asked to produce the report that, in fact, there was no report, but merely a few pages that he promised to make available, but has not yet done so.”

The Prime Minister also announced that not all operators would be licensed but only a few who were deemed to be experienced and of integrity.

“How this will be decided Bahamians do not know,” Dr Minnis said. “There has been no analysis whatsoever by the government of the nature, practices, social or economic impact of web shops in the Bahamas. No analysis of international law regarding internet-based casino gambling operations. No reference to due diligence, know your customer or money laundering concerns.”

The government has also failed to publish any proposed regulations to show Bahamians the “transparent considerations” that would govern web-shop licensing, the number of web-shops permitted and their proposed locations, he said.

“The government promised to formulate and to publish the question they would ask the Bahamian people well in advance of the proposed referendum. As of today’s date, a few short weeks before the voting day, Bahamians still have absolutely no idea of what precisely they will be asked to be approved.

“Just local numbers? Betting in the Bahamas on the Florida or Chicago lotteries? Internet based casino gambling? Are Bahamians being asked to vote for a free-for-all, or all-for-the-few? Bahamians do not know,” Dr Minnis said.

“The government has entirely failed to conduct any kind of public consultation exercises to solicit, obtain and fairly consider the views of the general public and civil society, and has woefully failed to provide any information to assist voters in making any kind of informed assessment of their proposals.”

The party leader said presently, there is no such clarity of purpose.

“There is too much uncertainty, half-steps, back-tracks, shuffling and dancing around the topic, coming from the Prime Minister. No relevant information has been shared with the people,” he said.

“Decisions have apparently been made by the government based upon shady and suspect information, or shady and suspect sources of information.

“The Bahamian people do not know what they have been asked to vote for. The Bahamian people do not know who stands to benefit most from the government’s plans: they, the Bahamian people, or the owners of existing illegal gambling operations.”

Dr Minnis said unless the government “fully and completely” answers the FNM’s questions, the government “runs the perilous risk of hearing the shout from every hillside and every valley, from every island and every cay, from every kitchen table and every roof top – ‘if you don’t know, vote no.’”

SIDEBAR

The FNM is asking the following questions of the government.

• Does the Prime Minister acknowledge that he, perhaps inadvertently, misled parliament and the Bahamian people when he claimed to have received “a report” on a national lottery from consultants (which is now just “a few pages”)?

• How can someone who is an “experienced” owner of a criminal enterprise ever have the “integrity” to run legalized web shop gambling operations?

• How can a person who is “experienced” in the running of a criminal operation ever be a “fit and proper” person for the purpose of obtaining a gaming license under the lotteries and gaming act, and as required by Bahamian law?

• What steps or regulations will be put in place to ensure that our anti-money laundering laws and counter-terrorism initiatives are obeyed by web shops in their quasi-banking operations and money transfers?

• How can a mere “opinion poll” or even a non-constitutional referendum change the existing provisions of Bahamian law that any licensee must be “fit and proper” to receive a gambling license?

• Why has the government removed the possibility of government ownership and direct responsibility for lotteries and gaming from consideration?

• As a former minister responsible for the Gaming Board the Prime Minister is perfectly well aware of the legal public policy set since 1974 that the Bahamas government, through the Bahamas Hotel Corporation, would own, and did take full legal ownership of every casino in the Bahamas. Why and when did the government make such a fundamental and radical change in the policy governing the ownership of legal gambling operations in the Bahamas to allow the casino gambling in web shops to be owned by the private sector?

• What will be the transparent, fair and objective standards used to determine which web shops will be permitted to remain in business, if any?

• Where are the draft regulations to be issued under the lotteries and gaming act which will set those fair and objective standards?

• Can the Prime Minister give an unequivocal assurance to the Bahamian people that this initiative is not largely driven by the self-interests of major donors of money to his party in the last general and by-election?

• Can the Prime Minister unequivocally assure the Bahamian people that campaign donors to the PLP will not receive special consideration should they apply for a web shop gambling licence?

• Does the Prime Minister agree that any political parties which accepted monetary political donations from web shop owners, who are presently not licensed to conduct illegal gambling, have potentially violated Bahamian law, namely the proceeds of crime act?

• What is the legal basis for the holding of a non-constitutional referendum, or “opinion poll?”

• Where did the Prime Minister obtain his projected figure of $20 million in tax revenue per annum? Kindly provide a copy of any actuarial or professional report which justifies such a prediction.

• Would the Prime Minister kindly provide a copy of any such report which predicts $20 million in annual tax revenue to the Bahamian people?

• Can the Prime Minister explain precisely how this tax revenue will be raised? Is it a casino tax, or merely licence fees? What is the anticipated annual profit for private owners from legalized gambling? Is there any proposed tax on those profits over and above licensing fees? If so, at what rate or percentage will such profits be taxed?

• What exactly does the government plan to spend any increased tax revenue on? Education, sports, culture, or what?