Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Ganesh Mahipaul and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira clashed on Monday in the House when the Committee of Supply met to scrutinize monies set aside for President Irfaan Ali’s “Men on Mission” (MOM) Initiative for 2023.
Mahipaul and his opposition colleague, Juretha Fernandes, grilled the minister to provide answers relative to the districts that will benefit from the initiative while raising concerns about the “haphazard” manner in which the initiative is being executed in the country. Mahipaul asked the minister if there is an assessment mechanism in place to determine how persons will be identified to benefit.
The minister told the House that the initiative is worthy of praise since it is being used as a vehicle to unite and empower Guyanese men regardless of political, religious, and ethnic persuasion.
She explained that the programme brings on board 1,000 men from each region to establish a powerful movement, allowing them to play a greater role in tackling issues confronting them.
“We want our men to be able to deal with their health issues, we want our men to be able to deal with improving their education, we want our men to not be beating women as we have in our society, and this part of the objective of men on a mission,” the minister stated.
Led by the Head of State, the consortium comprises several officers from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and religious leaders, among other reputable stakeholders.
Minister Teixeira said the initiative has been showing positive results in improving the image that the nation’s men play in building the society. She explained that many attempts were made over the years to get men involved in advocacy.
While she could not respond definitively to fiducial questions of MOM, the minister assured that the monies will go through rigorous accounting mechanisms like any other disbursement. She explained that the allocation will target mainly capital works, hence, the expenditure will be accounted for in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The allocation was subsequently passed by the House. Minister Teixeira made it clear that if the $500 million allocated is not utilised, it will be returned to the consolidated fund.
President Ali, during the MOMs October 2022 launch at Camp Ayanganna, Georgetown, was quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying: “We are dedicating ourselves to not being part of the problem but doing something about the problem; to bring about a permanent solution and create positive momentum to the future generations of Guyanese. Men can be better, can be more involved—can be role models.”
