Casino in Samoa
Edited Version Published Sunday Samoa Sunday 21 March 2010
Casino in Samoa: Bad bad Policy.
Dear Editor,
It looks like Samoa is again being wooed by the unstoppable economic globalisation (importing a casino) that preaches employment for the locals (cheap labour), profit from rich expatriate residents and gambling tourists, but hides the real costs to the taxpayers and its most negative effects on Samoan values (custom and Christian).
This is another bad policy by the Tuila’epa HRPP government where they may have already said “yes” because there may be attractive “perks” for “the boys” or the HRPP may have already been offered support for the upcoming election in March 2011 and is now trying to rush a Casino Bill in Parliament without the necessary consultations with the people of Samoa.
It might look like a “quick fix” for Samoa’s economic problems but it will create more debts and the burden on taxpayers will no doubt be heavy.
The main beneficiaries of such a policy will be the elite managers of the global gambling industry as demonstrated from the experience of other impoverished and developing nations.
Whilst it is claimed that the HRPP policy will disallow local residents (without overseas passports) from playing, the experience of Singapore demonstrates that eventually the local residents were allowed entry but were charged very costly fees every entry.
The HRPP government should be developing and strengthening local industries and value added industries and not be wooed by global stakeholders who do not care about Samoa’s Constitution and the values that are important to Samoa.
I look to the Church leaders to lead an opposition voice to this HRPP policy for all the negative effects already pointed out by Reverend Dr. Upolu Va’ai (Letter Samoa Observer , Wednesday 17 March 2010).
Ma le fa’aaloalo lava,
Meripa Weir (Keen Samoan Watcher from Abroad).
Casino in Samoa: Bad bad Policy.
Dear Editor,
It looks like Samoa is again being wooed by the unstoppable economic globalisation (importing a casino) that preaches employment for the locals (cheap labour), profit from rich expatriate residents and gambling tourists, but hides the real costs to the taxpayers and its most negative effects on Samoan values (custom and Christian).
This is another bad policy by the Tuila’epa HRPP government where they may have already said “yes” because there may be attractive “perks” for “the boys” or the HRPP may have already been offered support for the upcoming election in March 2011 and is now trying to rush a Casino Bill in Parliament without the necessary consultations with the people of Samoa.
It might look like a “quick fix” for Samoa’s economic problems but it will create more debts and the burden on taxpayers will no doubt be heavy.
The main beneficiaries of such a policy will be the elite managers of the global gambling industry as demonstrated from the experience of other impoverished and developing nations.
Whilst it is claimed that the HRPP policy will disallow local residents (without overseas passports) from playing, the experience of Singapore demonstrates that eventually the local residents were allowed entry but were charged very costly fees every entry.
The HRPP government should be developing and strengthening local industries and value added industries and not be wooed by global stakeholders who do not care about Samoa’s Constitution and the values that are important to Samoa.
I look to the Church leaders to lead an opposition voice to this HRPP policy for all the negative effects already pointed out by Reverend Dr. Upolu Va’ai (Letter Samoa Observer , Wednesday 17 March 2010).
Ma le fa’aaloalo lava,
Meripa Weir (Keen Samoan Watcher from Abroad).
posted by Meripa Weir at 2:33 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home