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Fathers are important to society and whilst we acknowledge the role of the village in raising our children, the father’s duty cannot be ignored. A father not only plays a role in procreation, but he is seen as the protector of the family. His is the duty to guide and shepherd his children and family throughout his life.
The outlook of the child is largely influenced by the contributions of the father. Irrespective of a child’s age, the thoughts and influence of the father will continue to be analysed and appreciated.
The adage “it takes a village to raise a child” holds true because the influences in the wider society, as they impact the father, will also influence the behaviours in the home.
Today this society is challenged in creating an atmosphere where there is respect for law and order, putting greater strain on fathers to influence the moulding of their children to be good and productive citizens.
Today I remember and feel the pain of those fathers in Guyana who are struggling to meet the needs of their children in a growingly harsh society, where insufficient attention is paid to provide a living wage and better conditions of work, and tackle the alleviation of suffering and poverty for families.
My heart pains for those fathers, who, as we celebrate Father’s Day, are grieving the loss of their children and the suffering their face at the hands of vicious men, exploiters and sexual predators.
Some of these men that has destroyed the children of others have children of their own to raise. I pray for those children that they never have to endure the pain of the children who suffer at the hands of their fathers.
Today I pay special tribute to those fathers in the community of Mahdia and its environs who are grieving the loss of their children in the dorm fire at the Mahdia Secondary School. I also pay tribute to fathers whose children have been violated by the powerful, robbing them their innocence and inflicting a lifetime of pain. We remember the fathers of Isaiah and Joel Henry, and Haresh Singh, whose young lives were snuffed out.
We also think of the fathers of Hillfoot and Mocha whose homes have been destroyed and finding it hard today to fulfill the role as provider, not as result of their inability to, but the result of policies and acts that violate, economically disempower, and place them on the fringe of society.
Special attention is given to the children today who are deprived a father not as result of natural death but illegal actions by the state that have snuffed out their lives. As fathers we remember the children of Quindon Bacchus, Orin Bascom and several others executed by men in uniform whose role is to Serve and Protect.
I make the call today for improving justice in our society and righting the wrongs. None should be above the law and being held accountable for their crimes.
