Editorial

The Sunday Beach Programme has now become a topic of discussion in many places in the country, and opinion is divided as to what it really entails. Whilst elders including venerable religious leaders continue to maintain that the programme is against our societal norms, our young people  believe it is an opportunity for them to enjoy themselves. It is in the light of the above that the Daily Observer decided to send a reporter to one of our beaches recently, to view first hand, what goes on there, so that parents and guardians can know what their children and wards are up to.

While we don't doubt that those who pioneered the programme had good intentions, it is important that we speak frankly about what our reporter saw last Sunday. From evening till late in the night,  the beach was crowded with people, especially young people. Motor vehicular traffic was also chaotic, a situation that has the potential to cause accidents and unnecessary loss of lives. Most of the young people were also outrageously dressed. The girls in particular, wore clothes that exposed the sensitive parts of their bodies. We doubt if our youngsters had such clothes on right from their homes, in front of their parents. If not, it is time parents become aware of the way their children dress during a Sunday beach programme. Such indecent dressing promotes immorality.

Every parent is fully aware that indecent dressing is against our religious and social values; hence there is the need for parents to look for better alternatives to make their children enjoy their holiday rather than the usual Sunday beach programme. Besides, why should  our children be allowed to go to the beaches and stay up till very late in the night? We should all work hard to keep alive our cherished norms and values, and stick to those old days when children would not leave the home without the consent of the parents. The children are the future; we must guide them along the straight path before they  go astray. We agree that life is about the moments that one enjoys, but those moments should be judicious and genuine.