Civic organizations yesterday lashed out at a petition for a plebiscite that would poll Penghu residents’ opinions on whether gambling should be allowed in the outlying county, while criticizing Penghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) of the Democratic Progressive Party for approving the petition less than six months after assuming office.
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, Outlying Islands Youth Front Penghu branch founder Sheng I-che (冼義哲) said the results of a 2009 plebiscite polling Penghu, launched under the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) administration, showed that the majority of residents were against the construction of casinos and villa complexes.
“Political power has shifted, but obviously the desire to promote gambling has stayed,” Sheng said.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
He accused Chen of being too lenient in reviewing the petition, saying that he had been in office for less than six months when he approved the application, using public opinion as an umbrella for him to “test the waters” for building casinos.
Even the KMT, which favors development of the gambling industry, strategically postponed the plebiscite by stiffening the reviewing process for petitions, apparently to eschew negative feedback from the public, Sheng said.
By approving the petition in such a short time, Chen had “ambushed” those who oppose gambling, he said.
The plebiscite has gathered enough petitions to pass the first-stage threshold and proponents of the gambling industry are paving the path for the plebiscite to be held with the presidential and legislative elections next year, Sheng said.
He said the rise of the gambling industry in Hong Kong and Macau sent repercussions throughout those societies; for example, the number of pawn shops have surged and resources have been monopolized by large corporations to a point that it has driven up costs for smaller establishments as well as commodity prices.
“We do not want the situation in Hong Kong and Macau to happen anywhere in Taiwan. Over the years, gambling has been trumpeted on outlying islands as an industry that would boost local economies, but this kind of economic development is not what we are after,” he said.
Taiwan Alliance Against Legalization of Gambling chief executive Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) said that no existing law approves the establishment of casinos.
He said that gambling is addictive and can have a destructive impact on people.
Meanwhile, Penghu Ocean Citizen Foundation founder Wu Shuang-tse (吳雙澤) said the organization has long supported using plebiscites to help resolve controversial public issues, but opposes a referendum about gambling.
He said that Penghu ranks sixth on travel guide publisher Lonely Planet’s list of the world’s “top 10 secret islands” and should be pursuing sustainable development instead of short-lived profit.
Wu said that Article 10-2 of the Offshore Islands Development Act (離島建設條例) served as legal grounds for previous referendums about whether to develop the gambling industry.
He said the article is problematic and meant to decriminalize gambling, while urging Chen to be prudent about citing it.
Wu said that the article should be amended, as public opinion is polarized over gambling and the authorities lack the necessary knowledge to manage casinos.
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