The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) extends good wishes to the Hindu community and all citizens on the occasion of the festival of Phagwah.
As the celebrated Indian National Kulapati Vani wrote many years ago, the release said, “festivals are gatherings for refreshing the spirit and enjoying life.” The party, therefore, urges citizens to participate in this colourful festival and enjoy the rich elements of the country’s religious and cultural diversity.
At the same time, it said, “We are conscious, also, that our spirits are becoming increasingly sullen and sour in the brooding darkness that now engulfs our lands. Violent crime, pervasive joblessness, creeping despotism, and deepening poverty, stalk our land; partnership, 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.” The PNCR said it was heartened, however, by the true meaning of this festival which has not only a secular significance of fertility, rebirth, renewal and regeneration, but an important religious moral. Holi celebrates the conquest of good over evil. “Several demons are abroad in our embattled land, and as we urge the Guyanese people to appreciate the spiritual significance in this festival, we also urge them to brace themselves against the many evils that are in our midst and resolve, at this juncture, to take steps to end these calamities that now bedevil our country.”