Prominent citizen Yesu Persaud has written Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan saying that the date for the Hindu festival of Diwali should be November 11th and not the day earlier which has already been announced as a public holiday.
A major row has broken out in the Hindu community in the last week over the date – the first in recent memory – and it has raised the prospect of a divided celebration.
The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) – a major organization – and other groups have said their calculations show the day as November 11th. Other groups and scholars have contended that the day should be November 10th. After considering explanations from both sides, Ramjattan recently ruled that the date should be November 10th and he said that there would be no backing away from this.
Yesterday, in a letter released to the press, Persaud said that he agreed with the head of the GHDS, Dr Vindhya Vasini Persaud that November 11th is the rightful day for Diwali.
“In my opinion no politician should be able to get (involved) in religious matters as there is a fear you will intervene in other religious groups’ affairs. I suggest you leave this decision up to Dr Persaud since she represents the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. This is my humble opinion on the recent dispute”, Persaud stated.
