THE CHARACTER of our island, Barbados, has been shaped by a combination of events which are an integral part of our people.
It is a given that we are today what our history has made us – and, in general, we have indeed come a very long way from some darker days of our past.
We are the envy of so many around the world – our style of governance, the relative degree of transparency and the substantial progress this country has made since our Independence in 1966.
This administration and its predecessors have stood firm on certain issues – where some of our Caribbean neighbours have yielded.
We are much respected for this. The introduction of casino gambling would expose us to a new and ugly type of tourism and undesirable form of foreign investment.
Allowing cruise ships to open their casinos while in port was a very positive step since unauthorised boarding by a non-passenger is virtually impossible – their security system is extremely effective.
Let Barbados continue to be held in high esteem by our citizens and by the outside world for refusing to agree to short-term fixes at the potential peril of creating long term social misery.
Many years ago, during my airline career I was based in Guyana and my job took me to Suriname every month; I witnessed there the casino scene first hand – not always very pleasant.
Later when I was based in Antigua and each week a group from the United States flew in on a weekend charter to gamble at the casino at Mamora Bay – an equally unpleasant collection of humanity.
CECIL INCE
