Residents take part in a rally dedicated to the elderly in Doha yesterday.DOHA, Qatar (The Peninsula), March 29, 2008:
A rally was held here yesterday to impress upon young nationals the need to take care of their ageing parents and grandparents.
An association dedicated to the elderly organized a rally from the roundabout near the General Post Office (GPO) to Al Bida Park. It was taken out in cooperation with the Social Affairs Department at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
A large number of people, including students and representatives from different social institutions, took part. Also present were senior officials from the Department of Social Affairs.
A highlight was the presence of the chairman of the Central Municipal Council (CMC), Nasser Abdullah Al Kaabi, and several of his colleagues. At the culmination of the march, Al Kaabi and senior officials from the association dedicated to the care of the elderly addressed the participants.
Al Kaabi said that although government had set up several homes for care of the elderly, it was the duty of the younger generation to take care of their ageing parents and grandparents.
“Our religion and traditions teach us to take care of our ageing parents and grandparents," he said, obliquely hinting that a trend was catching on in the Qatari community where materialism was dominating social and family values.
Nuclear families are increasing in number and joint families where the elderly enjoyed huge support, are disintegrating. Women are venturing out to work and walking shoulder to shoulder with men. This is a welcome development.
Social and family values as well as compulsions are changing and this is leading some families to ignore their ageing members. This is one of the negative fallouts of the changing system.
“We don't want to send our ageing parents and grandparents to the homes for care of the elderly. Let's pledge today that we will take care of them ourselves, and we will take good care," said Al Kaabi in an emotionally-charged speech.
“We want to discourage the trend of deserting ageing relatives and encourage the culture of love and care for them,” he said.
The secretary of the association for the elderly, Yusuf Al Muftah, also spoke on the occasion. He hoped that the message of the rally that "we must take good care of our ageing parents and grandparents had reached the younger members of our society".
“We must not forget the role of our elderly who made huge sacrifices to raise us and make us successful individuals and responsible citizens and to build our society,” he said.
Al Muftah said that one should not forget that one day one would also get older and then one would realize the importance of family care.
Also present was the president of the association for the elderly.
A highlight of the rally was the presence of the army musical band which played melodious tunes all through.
© 2001 The Peninsula.
