PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on Tuesday evening, joined with the residents and members of the ISKCON Guyana Crane Temple to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, which is the auspicious observance of the birth of Lord Krishna in Hinduism.

President Ali noted that in 2019, himself, along with now Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, had visited the temple and promised to return this year.
“I remember that last year when I came, I made a commitment to many of you that when the PPP/C is elected to government, I will come back this year, and so I am here to fulfil that commitment. Many of you ensured that we travelled through those five months and navigated to a place where good triumphed, where decency triumphed and where we can celebrate that democracy won in the end and I thank all of you for your efforts, prayers and commitment,” he said.
The head of state said the work has not ended, but rather, all hands are now needed to ensure that Guyana is governed in the best way possible so that every Guyanese can enjoy a better quality of life.

“Our prayers and efforts must now be concentrated on building Guyana where every Guyanese is given equal opportunity, a country that is peaceful, one in which poverty is removed from every door step, one in which dignity is returned to every life, one in which honour is given to every home, where children respect their parents, one where young people honour the elderly, one in which the elderly give young people a chance to blossom and where we can be proud that we have done what we were supposed to do in the advancement of humanity. In doing so, we will be celebrating and giving the greatest tribute to Lord Krishna.  We must all do our bit,” the President said.
He noted that as his government takes up office, every citizen can be assured that the administration will work assiduously and tirelessly not only to secure the lives and livelihoods of villagers, especially those in the sugar industry, but will work on creating new opportunities and fulfilling the promises that were made in its manifesto.
“That is my humble commitment on behalf of the Government to you. I always compliment the leaders of these temples for the role they play in the communities and society and as we celebrate tonight, let us recommit ourselves to the values that will make us stronger and recommit ourselves to the task of building a stronger Guyana,” President Ali noted.
Meanwhile, President of the organisation, Mahadeo Ramroop, in his brief remarks, said he was pleased that without any prompting, the Head of State remembered his promise to the people and decided to honour it.

The religious leader noted that the organisation stands ready and willing to support the government in whatever way as it takes up the mantle of leading the country during this critical time. (DPI)