The People’s National Congress Reform express Holi wishes to the Hindu Community of Guyana in particular, and Guyanese in general, on the auspicious occasion of the celebration of the Festival of Phagwah in Guyana.
As the celebrated Indian National, Kulapati Vani, wrote many years ago, “festivals are gathering for refreshing the spirit and enjoying life.” We urge all Guyanese to use this occasion to refresh their spirit and enjoy life, and to participate fully in this colourful festival and enjoy the rich elements of our religious and cultural diversity.
We are conscious, also, that our spirits are becoming increasingly sullen and sour in the brooding darkness that now engulfs our land. Violent crime, pervasive joblessness, creeping despotism, social disintegration and deepening poverty, stalk our land; partisanship, discrimination and executive lawlessness compound bad governance; our economy and society are in tatters, and our nation can only see dark clouds on the horizon.
We are heartened, however, by the true meaning of this Festival which has not only a secular significance of fertility, renewal and regeneration, but an important religious moral. The religious significance of Holi lies in the conquest of good over evil, manifested in the destruction by Phahalada of his demonic father, King Hiranyakashipu.
Several demons are now abroad in our embattled land, and as we urge the Guyanese people to see some spiritual inspiration in this Festival, we also urge them to brace themselves against these evils that are in our midst, and resolve, at this juncture, to take steps to end these calamities that now bedevil our country.
Again, Happy Holi to all Guyanese!