HGP Nightly News – The government’s flagship “Men on Mission” programme, backed by a $900 million allocation in the 2026 budget, faced direct scrutiny in Parliament today as an opposition MP demanded hard evidence of its impact on reducing violence and transforming male behavior.
The clash occurred during the Committee of Supply, where detailed budget estimates are examined. APNU Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul pressed Minister of Governance Gail Teixeira for “measurable data” to justify the substantial expenditure.
He reminded the committee that the programme’s core mandate is to reform men into better fathers and partners and to act as change agents against gender-based and domestic violence.
In response, Minister Teixeira acknowledged the challenge of quantifying social change but defended the investment as a long-term cultural project. “It takes a long time to change people’s culture and habits, it doesn’t happen overnight,” she stated. She argued that shifting a society’s tolerance for abuse requires persistent effort.
The Minister pointed to the programme’s dual focus: conducting workshops to address men’s attitudes while also delivering tangible support like home construction for the poor and vulnerable. She cited a perceived societal shift as the key indicator of progress.
“I believe right now… that there is a slow turn in society to do with not tolerating the level of violence that we used to have before,” Teixeira told the committee. She suggested that while domestic violence persists, there is now less public tolerance, reflected in media coverage and judicial responses.
The exchange highlights a fundamental tension in social programming: the government’s argument for patient, culturally-focused investment versus the opposition’s demand for quantifiable, results-driven accountability for nearly a billion dollars in public funds.
