BFM Announcements for May 30th 2010

 

 

 

President of Guyana Invites Bahamian Leader to Address First National Men’s Event Munroe Addresses Caribbean Male Crisis

Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo welcomed outstanding Bahamian Leader Dr. Myles Munroe to the capital city of in George Town recently after inviting him as official guest of the Government to be the featured speaker for the Nation’s first National Men’s Rally. Over 8,000 men gathered for the groundbreaking event organized by the Ministry of Human Services and Department of Social Development in partnership with the Men Empowerment Network of Guyana.    In the wake of the impact of the Global Economic Crisis on the Caribbean region and escalation of social challenges have had its toll on many nations of the Caribbean. The escalation of crime, domestic abuse, homicides and rising drug trafficking and abuse has casued many governments in the governments in the region to focus on the major concerns of social development. President Jagdeo while introducing Dr Munroe to stated: “ We are honored to have with us today one of the most inspirational Caribbean sons and my personal friend and a friend of Guyana.” The Bahamas renowned motivational speaker and Bestselling Author Dr Myles Munroe and his delegation including former Auditor General of the Bahamas and Ambassador to the European Union and Great Britain, Mr. Richard Demeritt and Mrs. Demeritt., met with the President Jagdeo privately for over 2 hours and then both left in an official motorcade to the Guyana National Park to address the to 8,000 men waiting for the Historic event. Dr. Munroe was asked to address the issues of the Caribbean Male crisis as his from his bestselling book ‘The Purpose of the Male’. Dr. Munroe was introduced by the President and in his address, pointed out that 93 percent of all criminal activities in the Caribbean are committed by men. He said, too, that men commit 89 percent of all acts of domestic violence; 83 percent of all school drop outs are males, 78 percent of drug dealers are males, and 78% of divorce cases are initiated by males. “ We have a male crisis in the Caribbean: we have broken homes, single mothers, rise in crime, homicide, domestic abuse, acts of rape - most of which are committed by males,” he said. Munroe was the guest speaker at the National Men’s Rally event in Guyana at the National Park tarmac. The rally was organized by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, in collaboration with the Men’s Empowerment Network (MEN) that targeted the men of Guyana. The rally is part of a larger initiative by MEN that strives to cultivate better attributes, habits and behaviors in the male population in Guyana, especially in the area of reducing the incidence of domestic violence. Dr Munroe said that despite the stark reality, the situation can be fixed. He pointed out that the male gender is the most powerful force in nation building. “We gonna fix this to gether. So go males, so go family; so go the males, so go the community, the nation, the children, the marriages,” he said. He urged the men to raise the standards in our society.“ Guyana is about to set the pace for the rest of the nations in the Caribbean” he added. A man, he said, should first have a good self image, while noting that manhood is not about the amount of money one may earn, but the difference men make in society. “ A man must have a clear vision of life, and to make a difference in his country… a man should be a protector and a cultivator, and not an abuser,” he said. In closing, Munroe challenged the men to be the foundation of Guyana. Speaking also at the 8,000 men rally, President Bharrat Jagdeo, who recently returned from a trip to the Middle East, promised his government’s strong support to the initiative being undertaken by MEN. “This initiative is important to me, personally, and to my government,” he said. The Head of State underscored the importance of engaging men in finding solution for many problems for which society views them as the main perpetrators. To do this, he said, there must be a reawakening of important values. He noted that a person’s character is a result of his/ her reaction to adversity, and challenged the very large turnout present to respond positively to whatever difficulties they may face. “Vices will continue in our society, but it is how we respond to these vices that will determine our character,” President Jagdeo stressed. “We can make a better life for ourselves, for our families and for our country.” However, to do this, he noted, men in Guyana have to reverse a worrying trend that has seen the majority of school dropouts being male while two- thirds of the graduates of the University of Guyana and the West Indies are female. He indicated that if men are to take the leadership role within the family unit, they must be intelligent, because ignorance leads to many poor attributes, which can result in domestic violence, narcotic dependence and alcoholism. “We have our task defined for us,” the President challenged. Jagdeo said that we can have a society where men and women are regarded as equals, and where young boys do not fall prey to drug dealers. He made it clear that the event does not demean the value of women. The President also asked the large gathering of men to have a special prayer for “ our brothers” in Haiti. Jagdeo pointed out that there is a lot of work to be done, while challenging the gathering of men to work as a team and recognize the benefit it would have for Guyana. He also urged the men to be good fathers, husbands and role models in society. Dr Munroe stated that the intention of the rally is to work with men for the development of the country, and highlighted that Guyana is setting the standard for all of the Caribbean to follow. The rally has been part of the events for National Men’s Week, which is celebrated from January 17 to 24, 2010, and also saw speakers from each of the three main religious faiths in Guyana – Christianity, Islam and Hinduism – addressing the gathering. The rally is to become an annual event, and Dr Munroe has promised to return for many years to come, noting that the initiative is inspirational. Dr. Munroe was so impacted by his experience with the 8,000 Caribbean men promised to encourage the Government of the Bahamas to follow Guyana’s lead and call a national men’s event to address the challenges in the Bahamas.

 

Guyana Correspondent:
Alex Graham
Tagman Inc
190 Charlotte St., Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana
+592 662 2539 | agraham@tagmanmedia.com

Photos from Guyana First National Men's Event