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The
Straits Times, 26 Nov 04
Anti-casino groups keep up the fight
By Joyce Teo
Various outfits are pushing case publicly and in private for the idea
to be dropped
RELIGIOUS and other conservative groups have been lobbying the Government,
both openly and behind the scenes, against building a casino here.
They have argued passionately not just at open forums and via letters
to The Straits Times Forum page, but also by making their opposition
known to the powers-that-be on the quiet.
Some church leaders have even called on their flock to speak up as
individuals. They have not given up even though many believe the Government
has almost decided to go ahead with the casino, which was mooted in
March and has divided public opinion.
One of the most active groups is Focus on the Family, which has written
letters to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, when he was Prime Minister,
and to Members of Parliament. 'In Singapore, making a lot of noise
in the public arena doesn't go very far,' said president Tan Thuan
Seng of the local offshoot of a United States-based movement that
promotes Christianity by preserving traditional values. 'So we are
doing it quietly, writing directly to them.'
The Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association
(Pergas) has also made its objections known to the Minister-in-charge
of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim. So has Muis (the Islamic Religious
Council of Singapore and the highest authority on Islam here).
At least two Christian leaders have urged church members to air their
views in the press. Pastor Cheah Fook Meng from the fundamentalist
Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church said when two members raised
the matter, he told them to write to this newspaper's Forum page.
President of the National Council of Churches of Singapore, Bishop
John Chew, also encouraged his Anglican believers here to do this.
This helped to make the debate on the casino, proposed as part of
a giant resort, the hottest topic this year on the letters page, said
Forum editor Kong Soon Wah. The deluge came after Dr Vivian Balakrishnan,
Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Senior
Minister of State for Trade and Industry, last week called for the
debate to move beyond 'money versus values' to whether Singaporeans
can act responsibly.
Although a survey has shown that slightly more people support the
casino than not, more than 40 readers in the past week who wrote in
were 'overwhelmingly against' it, said Mr Kong. The groups have also
turned up at public forums, including paying $100 to attend one held
by the Institute of Policy Studies last week. Bishop Chew said he
was unsure if their views would be considered but they had to plug
away nevertheless. 'Why should we stop?,' Focus on the Family's Mr
Tan said. 'Just because it's a 95 per cent done deal, it doesn't mean
the 5 per cent won't change the situation.'
But the groups are cautious not to step over what they see as the
fine line where religion is mixed with politics. Bishop Chew said:
'We do not want to be seen as lobbying and pressurising the Government.'
The Singapore Buddhist Federation and the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB)
have also voiced their reservations. |
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