October 4, 2009
Translated by Lydia Ma

When the results of Penghu's referendum on September 26 were released and we learned that 56% of voters had voted against opening casinos in Penghu, we must agree with Penghu Anti-Gambling Alliance Convener Lin Chang-hsing and say that this is Penghu people's victory.

Despite President Ma Ying-jeou's support for legalizing casinos to boost Penghu's struggling economy and regardless of the Legislative Yuan's passage of the Offshore Islands Development Act, Penghu residents used their ballots to tell the Ma administration they didn't want casinos. The result of this referendum not only inspired churches and anti-gambling organizations, but also created a proud precedent of citizens participating in the law-making process.

In the beginning, supporters of casinos besieged Penghu with such overwhelming force that it seemed all was lost. However, as ordinary and simple peasants refused to give in to hopelessness and spoke out against casinos one by one, we began to see glimmers of hope and ventured to believe that maybe, just maybe, Penghu could be saved. In the end, concerted action from casino opponents turned the tide.

Penghu residents didn't disappoint us and became our pride. When results became official, we saw something emerge from media analyses that we hadn't seen in a long time – heart-warming hope.

For anti-gambling alliances, influencing the outcome of this referendum certainly wasn't a walk in the park. They had their work cut out and it wasn't as simple as organizing rallies and coming up with catchy slogans. Their challenge was to analyze and explain the political, social, economic, and security ramifications of a "yes" vote in a way residents could understand in order to expose the lie that casinos would invigorate Penghu's flagging economy.

Anti-gambling alliance members and volunteers used internet, mainstream media, rallies, speeches, and even house calls so that they could be heard above pro-gambling campaigns. According to anti-gambling alliance members, they visited every home at least three times to ensure that residents knew what they were getting into if they voted in support of casinos and these efforts were rewarded in the referendum's final result.

The story of Sisyphus in Greek mythology tells of Sisyphus being punished by Zeus and ordered to roll a huge stone up a hill before he can be set free. However, whenever Sisyphus is almost near the top of the mountain, the stone would always roll back to the valley and he would have to restart again and this process would repeat itself day after day.

Sisyphus's effort in rolling the stone is symbolic of a stubborn hope that refuses to give up, even if the opponent may be a mighty Greek god. Those who opposed gambling demonstrated the same unflinching spirit as Sisyphus in their recent efforts as they sought to preserve Penghu's innocence for future generations.

What sets Penghu apart from Sisyphus is that love, justice, goodness eventually prevailed over a Greek god's curse. The results from Penghu's referendum should encourage us all to believe in the strength of common citizens and beckon us as Christians to fulfill our duties by participating in civil society. Let us become like Penghu's "simple peasants" – determined to do what is right and pleasing to God.

Taiwan Church News