–President Ali says; urges persons to reflect on the teachings of Diwali as they celebrate the Festival of Lights

AS the nation prepares to usher in the Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that in the same way the occasion represents good conquering evil, so, too, does the simple act of cultivating a spirit of hope.
He made the foregoing observation on Monday evening during the government’s Diwali cultural celebration, at the West Demerara village of Leonora, where he noted that what the government wants for its people is for them to have hope and dreams for a better life.

“What we want in our country, as a government and as a people, is that our people must hope. You see, you can’t have goodness if you can’t hope for something better,” he said.

Dr. Ali explained that when a society becomes hopeless, and when hopelessness takes over the landscape, that is the foundation on which darkness will evolve and prevail over everything else.
Against this backdrop, the Head of State noted that the government, over the last four years, has not only restored hope, but brought meaning to that hope in its people.

He said: “Today, Guyanese don’t need to hope for and dream of a better education; you have it at your doorstep. You don’t need the hope and dream for a house lot or treated water; we’re investing in it for you. You don’t hope and dream for democracy, because we believe in democracy.”

Dr. Ali highlighted that if one wants to determine how alive a society is, one can measure it by the vibrancy of the culture, and the way in which the culture is preserved.
This culture is part of the spirituality that embodies Diwali, and as such, the spirituality of the event goes beyond a place or an environment, he said.

This spirituality of which he speaks, Dr. Ali said, is the individual upliftment that must lend itself to community upliftment, and further to the upliftment of all humanity.

Hence, he said, this is the reason these events are important, because it is the embodiment of the spirituality that is celebrated, further encouraging the younger generations to learn about the greater meaning of these occasions.