This letter was sent to Quinton Edness and was copied to The Royal Gazette
May 26, 2009
Dear Mr. Edness,
I am concerned you may have inadvertently misled the public with your statements to The Royal Gazette printed on May 22, 2009. You were discussing proposed legislation that would make gaming legal on cruise ships while they are berthed in Bermuda's ports.
You are quoted as saying: "It (cruise ship gaming legislation) will mean persons who would ordinarily go into shops, go sightseeing and do other things, many of them are likely to stay onboard the ship."
Actually, old friend, that is not true.
The proposed bill would allow gaming on cruise ships between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. only. Of course between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Bermuda's retail outlets are closed and the sightseeing tours are long over so entrepreneurs in those areas would be completely unaffected. As for those Bermuda businesses still open after 10 p.m., they will be largely unaffected as well. because cruise ship analytical research consistently shows that 95 percent of all passengers are back on the ship by 10 p.m. at night. This bill simply means Bermuda will be more competitive with other cruise destinations. Increasingly we risk losing cruise ships to destinations like Europe where the cruise lines can generate higher amounts of revenue per journey.
You recently submitted a retraction letter to The Royal Gazette editor on another matter which proved your commitment to conveying accurate information to the public. So I hope you don't mind this clarification letter which is also being copied to The Royal Gazette in the spirit of the example you have set.
This proposed bill is very important to Bermuda's cruise travel industry and I think the level of national importance will be fully realised over the next few weeks. The dissemination of accurate information will be crucial for an honest public debate.
DR. EWART BROWN
Premier and Minister of Tourism & Transport
Editor's Note: The following response has been received from Mr. Edness: "The Premier is correct that the shipboard casinos will only be open between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and that this will not affect most shops and so on and I thank him for pointing this out. I would ask the Premier to give Parliament assurances that these hours will never be altered."
