The stand of AAAAG is very clear. NO CASINOS OFFSHORE OR ONSHORE. The amendment made to Goa Gambling Prevention Act to permit casinos should be repealed. This law which bans matka and all forms of gambling should be strictly implemented.
AAAAG has made representations to all the members of Legislative Assembly belonging to different political parties to stop casinos. Their actions speak louder than words. Both the ruling and opposition parties have received party fund from casinos and have legislated in their favor.
They have collectively colluded to bring casino scourge to Goa and systematically promoted casino addiction to exploit locals and tourists.
Since 1992 when the first amendment came in to introduce “vessel” as places for gambling, there have been 29 amendments till date made in the Goa Legislative Assembly in favour of casino industry.
Do we have hope?
A political party which brought in the casinos now says they want all the casinos offshore out and onshore shut which they did not do in their term. Another political party who opposed the casinos while in opposition gave permissions to bigger casinos when they came to power, brought legislations and policies to expand casino areas to loot more people. And there are many political parties who promise they will fight casinos, but trade off their positions. And yet there are some who have not yet articulated their stand.
While some still hope that the party they vote will fulfill their demand to remove casinos, there are others who just do not trust the betrayers who are partners in crime. They now work on alternate strategies to close casinos.
AAAAG as a civil society organization remains apolitical with respect to electoral politics.
Herald replies:
What the AAAAG convenor does not state, are the strategies they have in place to ensure that political parties spell out their casino policy in their manifestoes. After all the objective of every issue specific activism is to get results by visible action and their constant interventions on stands taken or not taken by parties. AAAAG needs to articulate the following. 1) Is the Congress statement of not having casinos in Goa at all, albeit saying there should be an opinion poll, acceptable 2) Since the AAP boisterously claims to be the party for the future of Goa, will AAAAG, as it has done for other parties, confront AAP to extract a clear stand on the issue of casinos from them. The AAAAG has been surprisingly silent on the ambivalent stand on casinos by AAP. 3) Will they disclose if some of their members are either supporters or sympathizers of any political party 4) Being “apolitical” does not mean that AAAAG has the luxury of delinking from political events. After all, it is political action and governmental action which validates social action.
So AAAAG cannot watch the coming 2017 elections as mute bystanders, on the issue of casinos, especially with regard to the Panjim Assembly seat.
– Editor
