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The
Business Times, 15 Jul 04
Churches council speaks out against casino
idea
By M. Nirmala
THE National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) has come out
strongly against the idea of having a casino here.
The council, representing the Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians,
among others, had this message in its four-page statement to its member
churches yesterday: 'We speak against the building of a casino in
Singapore.' Advertisement Casinos, it said, undermine moral values
and virtues. And the move will, in the long run, go against the Government's
aim of having a family-friendly society.
The statement came on the same day Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister
of State (Trade and Industry and National Development) reiterated,
at an international meeting of amusement park companies, that the
Government was deciding whether to build the planned casino within
an integrated entertainment centre.
The Government will decide by January after extensive consultations
and a careful study of its social and economic implications. The proposed
casino on Sentosa has been criticised despite government assurances
that measures will be taken to control the negative effects of gambling.
Last month, Pergas, the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers
Association, opposed it, saying it will bring more harm than benefit
to the country.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Straits Times, said
Singapore should hold fast to the values and virtues taught by various
bodies, like religious organisations, clan associations and educational
institutions. 'These hard-earned values and virtues like thrift, industry,
generosity and fairness, should not be unravelled by projects or policies
which could subvert them and thus impoverish our society instead of
enhancing it,' it said.
Among the council's many worries is that a gambling culture will signal
that time-tested virtues 'shared by people of different faiths', such
as honesty, compassion and trustworthiness, are no longer of primary
concern to Singaporeans.
It said the main beneficiaries of the high-yielding casino business
will be the operators, their shareholders and the Government. But
the tax collected will be outweighed by the economic and social dangers.
The council argued that Singapore is not so poor and desperate that
it has to depend on revenues from casinos and gambling to increase
the gross domestic product and finance social projects. 'Even if we
are poor, we should be a people of dignity and moral courage,' it
said. |
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