Imbert, credit Kamla for the Gambling Bill

He must give due credit to former prime minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar for all the hard work invested on the comprehensive and insightful law-creating process that commenced with the 2013 Budget statement of intent announcing the new regime.

There is no doubt that the Dr Keith Rowley administration, both on this occasion and previously, is piggy-backing on the excellent, incisive, international and domestically consultative- based Bills such as this Gambling Bill 2016 in order to impose a long-outstanding legal order and regime over the illegal proliferation of casino gambling and gaming machines.

The industry if unregulated can serve as siphon to foment and encourage money laundering, the financing of terrorist activities and other negative practices challenging the moral fabric of TT .

Although the then Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) was absent from the House on May 27, 2015, when the 2015 version of the Bill was passed with the requisite threefifths majority (26), it appears that the PNM has now seen the light of reason and judgment.

The People’s Partnership government did an excellent job. It bequeathed to the PNM a comprehensive legislative legacy geared to address this complex and demanding subject in spite of the self-centred objections now being raised by the casino owners.

These casino owners want to delay the legislation by sending it to a Joint Select Committee so that they can continue to exploit the current unregulated industry without paying the requisite licence fees and adhering to the stringent enforcement/oversight mechanisms proposed therein.

All the relevant bases of the industry have been taken on board including consulting international standards prevailing in several jurisdictions that will have the effect of attracting foreign investors in a nascent industry and contribute to revenue diversification.

I hope that this maverick, non-performing PNM Government can suspend its cheap arrogance and treat the Opposition with respect on this matter and others so that the latter can be persuaded to give its support to achieve the requisite three- fifths majority for the Bill to go forward to the Senate.

The Bill stops the current free-for-all that the casino owners want to perpetuate exclusively for their continuing partisan illegal group benefit.

STEPHEN KANGAL Caroni