SO WHO ARE THE REAL SINNERS THEN ?...... ( Article by Professor Hu Chi Ku Chi )

Having just read an interesting and very thought provoking article " Living In Sheltered Darkness " by Judy Kay-Wolff , about some rather dishonourable characters who have disgraced the world of bridge, I would like to add a few comments of my own. These relate to four types of malpractice which blight the landscape of this most beautiful game, leaving the question wide open as to who are the real sinners ?

1. The perpetrators of any form of devious coffee-housing and cheating at the table. Such
     miscreants, like Adam and Eve , can be classified as the original sinners , or to use 
    correct legal jargon the principal offenders.

2. Those corrupt individuals who directly or indirectly profit by, endorse and encourage 
    any form of sharp practice. These reprobates I would define as aiders and abettors.

3. Officials and directors who ,  despite being in a position to take action against the 
    wrongdoers , elect to turn a blind eye as to what has been going on. These cowardly 
    and morally corrupt individuals are in essence accessories after the fact. Indeed, their
    complicity goes as far as harbouring, protecting and assisting the wrongdoers to escape
    both reprimands and punishments.

4. The silent majority who by choosing to ignore what is going on around them give their
    tacit approval for sharp practices to carry on unabated. By failing to report incidents or
    make a stand against them,  these head-in-the-sand ostriches can be described as
    accessories before the fact. 

If sinners are the product of a sick society, then cheaters for instance are the product of a sick and infirmed bridge society. For me , the real sinners of what is wrong with the game are those who have been empowered to take action against wrongdoers but fail to do so. Whether their motives are based on misguided respect , sycophantic creeping, fear ,  money or nepotism , it is their inaction which allows the cancer to fester and grow.