A welcome move

Guyana Chronicle – April 16, 2008

Dear Editor,

The Government of Guyana has set aside one hundred million dollars in this year’s budget to help single parents. There are thousands of women in Guyana without a husband, but they have many children to feed and send to schools. Many of them are uneducated; do not have any skills to acquire a decently paid job. They are finding it hard to cope with everyday living.

Many of them have their children fathers alive. Those husbands that are alive simply turned their backs against their wives and children and do not care how they exist or whether the children go school or beg.

Government over the years has been providing help to the vulnerable group through the poverty reduction programmes. Therefore the decision by the Government to move in this direction to help single parents is most welcome.

Baldeo Persaud

Closing Channel 6 is way of trying to shut up poor people

Stabroek News – April 14, 2008

Dear Editor,

We are writing this early on Saturday morning to strongly condemn the decision by the President to close down Channel 6.

Closing down Channel 6 is a way of trying to shut us up as poor people. Mr. Sharma’s station gave poor women and men a voice. Poor people are suffering and the Voice of the People was our main avenue for expressing this. Day after day people have been telling the stories of our suffering on Channel 6 and we never heard anything back from the President but as soon as a poor woman said something threatening in her frustration he suddenly got interested. How sad!

The lives of poor women are under threat every single day. Look at the burdens of the economic situation. Look at all the violence around us. We the poor people are the ones facing this every single day of our lives. We have no protection whatsoever.  

More public health facilities will be providing an abortion service; is that desirable?

Stabroek News – March 24, 2008

Dear Editor,

On Al Jazeera news of 25th December we were informed that births in Israel during 2007 was the lowest over the last four years and that during the said year approximately 20000 persons emigrated from Israel, while approximately the same number immigrated to Israel. This, we were led to believe, is a serious concern of the Government of Israel. We know that Canada, in recent years, has been making it easy for outsiders to take up residence there. In Denmark and other Scandinavian countries they are seeking to increase the population by taking measures to encourage citizens to have as many children as possible. Women are offered extremely favorable time away from work, plus tax relief on the birth of every child. Last time I checked they were considering similar time off from work for fathers. All of this became necessary since the population is aging. This aging population was on the cards. Young people in these countries, in keeping with the belief of many in the developed world, that personal material comfort supersedes all else, were inclined to have no more than one or two children, for they perceive children as a burden on their pockets and demanding of their time.

Isn’t it time those of us in authority begin leading by example?

Kaieteur News – March 23, 2008

Dear Editor,

I consider myself to be a fairly open-minded person; and being an advocate for education, teachers are some of the most special people to me. A proud Guyanese, I also love the fact that our talented local artistes are obtaining deserved success, with the accompanying recognition.

I love all of these talented people and Malo, Vanilla and Adrian Dutchin are some of the people that I personally feel have the ‘prerequisites’ to contend with other performers, anywhere in the world.

You can therefore imagine my disappointment and consternation, when, while perusing the Kaieteur News, I came across an article by Mondale Smith, titled, “Hundreds thrilled at KK annual school show”, which painted a vivid picture of the event, which was dubbed a success.

The UN campaign to end violence against women is most welcome

Letter to Editor of Stabroek News - March 7, 2008

Dear Editor,

I write to commend you on your fine editorial captioned “It can’t wait” which appeared in SN on Saturday, March 01. It seems to have been spurred by the fact that on the previous Monday, “UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched a multi-year global campaign bringing together the United Nations, governments and civil society to try to end violence against women.”

I confess to coming within an inch of dancing in the streets over the news of this UN campaign. I hope that it will be vigorously and resolutely pursued in a sustained way, and that SN and its women writers will contribute significantly towards keeping this matter on the front burner where it most certainly belongs.

I had expected to see swarms of letters in SN from women and women’s groups on this very, very important topic. Did I miss something? But perhaps the Guyanese society is still in shock and still trying to come to terms with the recent horrific manifestations of man’s inhumanity to man that need to be denounced unequivocally in the strongest terms.

Through a woman’s eyes: And the battle continues

By Cheryl Springer
Stabroek News – March 2, 2008

It has been hundreds of years since women were burned at the stake after being “convicted” of witchcraft. Strides have been made in terms of equal opportunity in what is still a patriarchal world and in three years, the centenary year of International Women’s Day will be celebrated. But the battle continues.

That is, the fight to end the oppression of women. Perhaps it is not as fiercely fought as before or as it should be, but it continues nevertheless.On Saturday, women (and men) around the world will celebrate International Women’s Day with rallies, conferences, craft fairs, theatrical performances, fashion parades, pageants or any activity which they feel best suits the occasion.

In some countries, March 8 has taken on the significance of Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day among men, who buy presents for their mothers, wives, daughters, girlfriends and sometimes even for workmates. In other places, some people genuinely have no clue. Some men are not interested because they would prefer not to have a shift in the balance of power, and some younger women because they have never had to struggle for the right to do anything.