PRESIDENT Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali in his Phagwah message to the nation urged all Guyanese to reflect on the religious significance of Phagwah which, he said, embodied the shared beliefs of people of all faiths and nationalities that good will triumph over evil and that gloom and difficulties are transitory and will eventually give way to a resurgence of hope and harmony.

These are indeed encouraging statements which Guyanese can relate to in a direct way. The country experienced a period of dark and undemocratic rule for nearly three decades until democracy was finally restored on October 5, 1992. And, in the March 2020 elections, another attempt was made by elements associated with that sordid past to once again subvert the will of the Guyanese people. Thankfully, in the end the truth won and the democratic wishes of the electorate eventually prevailed.

The fact is that there is a strong correlation between democracy and development. Put in another way, there is a relationship between evil and destruction. The most depressing period in our history, both from a political and economic standpoint, was when the rights and freedoms of the Guyanese people were trampled upon by a power-hungry cabal that was more concerned with the perks of office than with putting in place the necessary policy measures to advance the quality of life of the Guyanese people.

But as a country we cannot afford to look backwards. Instead, we have to look confidently to the future, fortified in the knowledge and conviction that truth will always prevail and, as the message of Phagwah so forcefully reminded us, good will always triumph over evil.

As pointed out by President Ali, Guyanese are a resilient people and even though confronted in the past with enormous challenges under daunting and difficult circumstances, they have proven to be adept and resourceful in overcoming those challenges.

“I am supremely confident that with the interventions planned by my government, we will surmount the problems associated with the global supply chain crisis and the effects of the war in Eastern Europe,” the President asserted.

This year, as observed by President Ali, we have much greater cause for celebration. Our country is on the path towards a return to normalcy. The evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is waning not only in Guyana, but in several other parts of the world. In view of these encouraging trends, President Ali after careful assessment of the situation, took a decision to relax social restrictions, even though he urged Guyanese to continue to be vigilant and not become too complacent.

The good thing is the Guyana economy is getting stronger and stronger by the day. And this despite the two-year long COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation last year, which destroyed a significant part of the country’s infrastructure, which resulted from excessive rainfall and rising sea levels.

With the emergence of oil and gas, new business opportunities have opened up and the private sector has been rising admirably to the task in terms of new investments and job creation. Indeed, there is now a new mood of optimism and hope gripping the society, one that essentially suggests that the worst days are behind us and the dawn of a new day is about to appear on the horizon.

But even as we bask in the glory of our rising prosperity, we cannot lose sight of the tragedy that is unfolding on the bigger international stage, where thousands of lives are being lost, including that of women and children. The current war in Ukraine, apart from the loss of lives and the destruction of property has resulted in one of the biggest humanitarian crises in modern history, as millions of people are forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in neighbouring countries.

This war is turning out to be an ill-wind that is blowing no one any good. The war has already impacted on the cost of living of people all over the world, including Guyana, due mainly to rising fuel prices and shortages of grain of which both Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers on the world market.

One can only hope that the war will come to a speedy end and that peace and harmony will ultimately prevail.