Dear Editor,
President Ali’s rhetoric when he launched Men on/of Mission was solid as he addressed most of the concerns about men in Guyana and the world. The rhetoric fails though as the President did not commit to any personal accountability to hold his friends and comrades accountable who are not on the Mission with him.
The Stabroek News report of the launch of the Men on Mission detailed the incidents where PPP members have demonstrated contempt for women and children and for which there has been no sanction. Some of the men are repeat offenders. The Guyana Chronicle Editorial of Sunday 30 October, 2022 writes that “The fact is that when it comes to the protection of our women and girls, there is zero tolerance by the PPP/C administration against offenders. There is and cannot be any “holy cow” when it comes to the exposure and bringing to justice those found guilty of any form of abuse against our women. There are, of course, some in our society who, mainly out of partisan political interests, seek to project an alternative view even though the facts demonstrate otherwise.”
So already, the first principle for MOM seems to be that we will be deemed partisan when we condemn the violence of PPP and other political operatives and other holy cows/bulls
In Guyana, before MOM there was Men of Purpose, and the Men’s Empowerment Network and other groups of men who wanted in various ways to fix men. Some groups believe that women lie and that abusive men are the victims of the women and children they abuse. It is important that movements and groups state their principles clearly.
The President noted that addressing the problems of men is a global issue. The PPP and those involved in MOM could learn from the Men Engage Alliance, a global network of organisations working with men and boys for gender equality.
The Alliance leads by example by stating its own principles of accountability (https://menengage.org/our-work/accountability/ which identifies standards and codes of conduct for the men and others who are involved in the work.
In June 2021, the Men Engage Alliance launched the Ubuntu Declaration and Call to Action (https://menengage.org/resources/ubuntu-declaration-and-call-to-action/) which “proposes a collective vision and a set of commitments for those working to engage men and boys and transform masculinities”
The document was developed after participation from groups and individuals around the world and provides a useful resource for any Guyanese man or boy who wants to see a more just society. https://menengage.org/resources/ubuntu-declaration-and-call-to-action/
The Call to Action is based around a shared vision of “gender, social, economic and environmental justice for all, everywhere, now and in the future.” In other words, opening up the question of Men on/of Mission to also dealing with the problems of climate change and questioning fossil fuel futures while getting back into the labour force and back to school. The Call to Action recognises that learning would be a key part of the work. The Call to Action identifies commitments to intersectional feminist approaches, feminist systems change, accountability, centering youth, decolonization, doing the inner work for social change and to building alliances and movements. Is nuff wuk, not going to be easy.
MOM has not detailed the principles or guidelines or standards or codes of conduct associated with the Mission. Maybe the President might yet be inspired by his own speech and seek accountability for the abusive men around him as the next MOM activity after the launch.
Yours sincerely,
Vidyaratha Kissoon
