How much will we allow?

Guyana Chronicle – May 4, 2008
by Rev. Kwame Gilbert

I MUST applaud the very bold and decisive step taken by the Minister of Home Affairs in blacklisting two entertainers, whose performance/ lyrics are considered not to be in keeping with the moral ethos of our country.

I had begun to question, in recent times, the very sanity of some of these so called entertainers. The filth that is spewed out, into the airwaves, in the name of music and entertainment is simply unbelievable. What is worse is that there seems to be an insatiable appetite for this tripe in our society. Our people are so caught up in this sexually perverting, lewd genre of “music” that it has spawned a generation of lawless, reckless, shameless people. Not only are the lyrics repulsive, but the music videos are absolutely appalling. We see young women gyrating, exposing their private parts to the camera, in a shameless, despicable manner.

Regrettably, in this process of social evolution, this planet has over time metamorphosed into an almost unrecognizable state, morally and spiritually speaking. With these various forms of transmutation, we have seen the emergence of a culture of sexual liberation.

Poverty is increasing among women

Kaieteur News – May 2, 2008

Minister within the Education Ministry, Dr Desrey Fox said that the feminisation of poverty is fast becoming popular and is resultant from various issues affecting women.

Dr Fox was speaking at the launch of the National Single Parent Register and commented on the fact that the majority of single parents are of the female gender.

“It is common knowledge that of all the single parents we have, few are men. The feminization of poverty is on the rise even in the United States and it extends to Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean,” Dr Fox said.

The Education Minister noted that from daily interfacing with parents, it is conclusive that women are solely responsible for the family’s welfare. “I have never seen a father who has come to me to discuss the education of a child,” Dr Fox remarked.  

MPs urge single parents to grow food

-absentee fathers an age-old phenomenon
Kaieteur News – April 30, 2008

Member of Parliament (MP) Indra Chandarpal has said that Guyanese must examine their attitude to the land as the alarming rise in food cost continues to pose a global threat.

Ms Chandarpal was speaking at the launch of the National Single Parent Register at the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Monday.

She pointed out that single parenting is an age-old phenomenon, but years ago mothers used the land to ensure the survival of their children.

“If we carefully examine it, single parenting goes back to years, but those mothers used to plant to ensure their family’s survival,” she said.

She added that single mothers must return to the land and support the “Grow-More” initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture. “It is in their best interest to do something to help themselves,” the MP said.  

Female ministers talk up single-parent registry

Stabroek News – April 30, 2008

The Human Services ministry led a team comprising the female Cabinet ministers to educate the public on the importance of the single-parent registration process in the light of its May 15 deadline.

The registration process is a precursor to the disbursement of the $100M assistance budgeted for this purpose, a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release said. Registration has since been conducted in regions two, three, four, five and six.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand said this initiative is one of several being undertaken to assist vulnerable persons. It was noted that with the rising food prices and other increasing pressures single parents are facing, this initiative has been developed to cushion the effects.

Manickchand said that in single parent households children feel the brunt of the effects as many of them do not attend school or have limited access to education.  

Steps to cushion food prices welcome, but women’s groups want VAT reduced

Stabroek News – April 29, 2008

Two women’s organisations said yesterday that while they welcomed the efforts by government to cushion the increasing prices of food, they still believe the steps taken so far, fall short of what is needed and are convinced that a reduction in VAT could go a far way.

Red Thread and Grassroots Women Across Race held a press conference to address the effects of the escalation in food prices on the survival of families and on the burden of the work that women carry
On May 1 the groups will hold a peaceful picketing exercise at the corner of Regent and Cummings streets, during which they hope to give a louder collective voice to their cries and demands.

“Our families cannot survive the daily increase in the price of food, prices of electricity and the high price of water,” they said.

They noted that on May Day there would be the traditional marches and speeches, but “will as usual not acknowledge or even consider our unwaged labour as caregivers in our homes and communities and through our religious bodies, whether we are mothers or not.”

The women feel that the speeches would not acknowledge women’s labour although it is “our unwaged caring labour that is holding up our families.”  

Minister Manickchand urges single parents to get registered

Guyana Chronicle – April 29, 2008

MINISTER of Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Priya Manickchand yesterday urged all single parents to get registered for the Single Parent Fund over a three-week period.

“The registration process to register all single parents was launched and we are going to attempt to get all single parents registered on a national single parent register,” she explained at a press conference.

Information collected from the registration process will help to plan effectively what interventions would be taken to assist single parent families.

She said this is going to be an ongoing programme since government realises the hardships single parents face.