I wish to join in the ongoing Chris Brown debate by offering my humble opinion on the issue of whether or not he should perform in Guyana.

Having noted the many letters by women’s groups and other rights activists, it is clear that they are not willing or are in a position to forgive this young man for a transgression committed some time ago in the U.S. against his girlfriend, which was widely publicised, including his stints of rehabilitation. I am a bit perplexed because it now seems that these rights groups do not want to see this young man succeed and overcome his past. They have also missed the fact that domestic violence also affects men, and while I do not condone any violence, the facts remain that many men suffer emotional stress.
It is clear that these rights groups have missed the plot entirely in what appears to be a targeted campaign to score political points against the government as they seem quite content to grandstand on the end result of the problem rather than look at the core issues. Not once in their long eulogies as to why government should not support Chris Brown have they promoted or called on men to access counselling, or have pushed government to make it mandatory for those charged in cases of domestic violence to access counselling.
This exposes their disjointed approach and confirms what I have long suspected, which is just degeneration to male-bashing and stereotyping the sexes even further. I am of the opinion that bringing Chris Brown to Guyana is the best move ever and the government should be commended; and if these rights organisations were not so blinded with their anti-government agenda, they would have quickly seized upon the opportunity as it has awakened or brought to life an otherwise taboo subject in Guyana.
It has placed the issue of domestic violence on the centre stage and rather than using the opportunity to encourage Chris Brown to show our men that they can lead better lives and succeed in changing their mindset and approach to domestic issues. They have served up a public vilification and hanging campaign of the entertainer in conjunction with the opposition political parties, which could only serve to dissuade our menfolk from coming forward, and seeking counselling and treatment out of concerns that they will face a similar campaign by these politicians and women’s rights groups.
This is a massive opportunity which has been squandered, but I feel there is still enough time for us to reassess the fact that there is a bigger picture involved and we must work across political and other barriers for the greater good of our nation.