Dear Editor,
I have elsewhere and again complimented Hon. Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud for her compassion and efforts to manage a Ministry as a Minister should, that is to satisfy citizens who must operate and live within the confines of the subjects under that ministerial portfolio.
For me, this makes the Ministry and Minister quite different from others in this government, some who lack the basic courtesy of even acknowledging a receipt of letters sent.
Last year, I wrote to the Minister expressing some concern for the large number of females and mothers of small children who are forced to find employment as Security Guards working throughout the night.
The Minister’s reply pointed out that they were at the moment providing the “Essential Child Care Subsidy,” to help mothers with children under 7, who use day and night care services.
However, my letter pointed to a deeper economic and social problem facing a particular group of females and which could only be addressed by taking much broader measures well beyond that of a single ministry.
The recent tragedy of security guard Tracy Flue who lost her three children by a fire at Barnwell, East Bank Demerara, highlights the seriousness of the problem and the truly caring government, now that they are in possession of substantial financial resources should have by now addressed this complex and deep issue.
Monday’s Stabroek News editorial dealt with it adequately and a truly caring Government would mobilize the necessary human material and financial resources to deal with this serious issue without delay.
An examination must also be directed to finding out what has happened to the male in our society who ought to be the ones doing security work at night.
In addition, pressures of life particularly in the urban centres have seen the dwindling and near disappearance of these fathers. After all, we only had one Virgin Mary.
The mothers must work at night to provide food, lodging, transportation, education and clothes for their children.
Is it that this kind of tragedy is because for whatever reason we have a growing group of irresponsible young men in our society particularly in the urban centres of Guyana.
This letter is not intended to provide specific proposals save to suggest first, the broad based non-partisan group of persons be assembled to examine this dilemma faced by the likes of Tracy Flue and make proposals for both short term and long term solutions.
Perhaps this is the first hurdle by a Government that talks about One Guyana but seeks every opportunity to be politically partisan. The team assembled should have only persons with experience and competence, whose qualifications should go beyond being party hacks and sycophants.
This is not a matter to be trivialized or worse ignored and I hope this government and the Opposition in Parliament treat this matter as being urgent and a solemn issue.
A debate on the subject should not be an occasion for shouting at each other in the Chambers of our Parliament.
From my own knowledge what happened to Ms. Tracy Flue and her three children at Barnwell, East Bank Demerara, is merely the tip of the iceberg and I hope and pray that the Government, the Opposition and Civil Society read and digest Stabroek News’ Editorial Monday, May 30, 2022 and act swiftly so we can say sooner rather than later that out of evil cometh good.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green
Elder
