Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 25, 2018 News
Today is Christmas Day, the day that the Christian community celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. We at Kaieteur News join our Christian brothers and sisters to observe this special day as we extend Merry Christmas to one and all. Also extending Christmas wishes are President David Granger and some other organizations as seen below.
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PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER
Fellow Guyanese,
Christmas celebrates the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora are observing this sacred event with joy. It is a special season, one that is filled with the spirit of friendship and fellowship.
The promise of peace and goodwill on earth is central to the festival of Christmas and to the ministry of Christ. The gospel of St. Luke in the Holy Bible reminds us that, on the eve of Jesus’s birth, angels proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
The promotion of peace and the fostering of goodwill are the eternal messages of Christmas and the essential conditions for achieving social cohesion in this country and everywhere in the world.
Guyanese, despite the divisions of the past and the difficulties of the present should accept that differences would sometimes exist, but they need not be hostile or hateful.
The lesson of Christmas teaches us the value of peace among peoples and goodwill toward all. We are creating a community of citizens based on mutual respect and aimed at ensuring the common good.
Guyanese, Guyana is becoming a gentler, kinder, more compassionate country. Everyone, regardless of race, religion, political persuasion, social status or place of residence could look forward to sharing the goodwill of this festival and to living in peace with one another.
The festival of Christmas could be celebrated most meaningfully by remembering the biblical proclamation of Jesus’s birth. Let us work together to eradicate the capital vices of anger, greed and hatred and to engender peace and goodwill in our families, in our communities and throughout our beloved country.
Happy and peaceful Christmas to all Guyanese.
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BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE
“Today in the town of David, a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:11).
The storyline in many books and films is about a saviour, a super hero, someone who will save the day, and restore order, security, peace and right relations where these have been compromised. In the time of Jesus, and before, the people of Israel expected the coming of a Messiah and some imagined that this Messiah would take on a military or regal or political role to liberate the people from oppression and misery.
In Guyana, today there is much discussion and debate, at various levels in society, about a petroleum “saviour” that is due to appear in 2020. Many are looking towards this coming to be saved from financial difficulty, limited opportunity, unstable and threatening circumstances, not to mention the underlying hopes that some part of the abundant wealth will come their way.
In the discussion on oil revenue, a recommended approach to evaluate its “saving” capacity is to pay attention to the outcome in other countries, which experienced a similar windfall. The evidence strongly suggests that revenues managed well through transparent initiatives in service of the people and for the common good worked best for all concerned. We hope that this will be the case for Guyana.
But the Saviour born to us is not in the image of the hero in the storyline moving in on behalf of others to save the day. The Saviour born to us is seeking a place in our hearts to defibrillate, to arrest the arrhythmia brought on by the trends and influence of the world and restore the beat of integrity, peace, justice, love, in sync with his own.
On the first Sunday of Advent, we read from the Prophet Jeremiah:
See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I am going to fulfil the promise, I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah:
‘In those days and at that time,
I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David,
who shall practise honesty and integrity in the land.
In those days Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell in confidence.
And this is the name the city will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.’ (Jer. 33:14-16)
This is the Saviour born to us; not an external agent acting on our behalf but one seeking a place in our hearts so that we can act on his behalf, individually and together, many “virtuous branches” becoming a presence of Integrity, justice, love, peace inserted in the reality of this present world. In the days to come, the real boon and treasure and saving grace that would bring prosperity to Guyana, is a people living their integrity and honesty and dwelling in confidence.
My wish to you, beautifully articulated for us in this season of Christmas, is that the integrity, honesty, confidence and the multiple gifts our Saviour born to us gives us, may continue to grow in your hearts always.
PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM
The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ – celebrated by most Christians on the 25th December – is recorded in the Gospel according to St. Luke as heralding an era of “peace on earth and good will toward men.”
Jesus’ humble birth took place in a common manger in a tiny town in an obscure country. He was able, nevertheless, with a small band of disciples, to preach a gospel that transformed the world in a most fundamental way and created a remarkable Christian civilization of which we are all heirs. Guyana being a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society is in a unique position to benefit from the teachings of the religions of all of its peoples. Christmas is, therefore, not only for members of the Christian community but for all Guyanese in a very real sense. There is abundant evidence that the teachings of Christianity and its practices have influenced the lives of all of our people. In other words, this country has seen the benefits of the policy of allowing all religions to flower in Guyana. Christian beliefs go well beyond the religious and have had a notable effect on all aspects of life in Guyana, in terms of the production of Art, Literature, our way of living and our objective of building a harmonious and tolerant society.
The Christian spirit of charity continues to inspire Guyanese of all religions. Ordinary people everywhere reach out with compassion and generosity to help their brothers and sisters in distress.
We call to mind the plight of the aged, the poor and other vulnerable citizens. We remember our servicemen and soldiers who will spend this joyous festival separated from their families at sea and on our far-flung frontiers. We recognize the service of our nurses, servicemen, technicians and working people who maintain our utilities, sanitary facilities and security services to ensure that citizens could be safe and that the nation could be secure.
The biblical promise of peace on earth and good will toward men, however, remains unfulfilled. Guyanese are urged on the occasion of this sacred festival – through thought, word and work – to make Jesus’ message of mercy and his ministry to the poor and needy the main motifs of their celebration.
Happy Christmas to all Guyanese!
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PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY
Christmas is the season of merriment and a time for compassion and kindness. It is also a time for prayers and goodwill among people. Whatever challenges may confront Guyanese they always find ways and means to share in the spirit of the season.
Our Christmas traditions and values are internationally renowned. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend greetings to all Guyanese, especially the Christian community here and in the Diaspora for a merry Christmas and a successful New Year. As we celebrate, our Party would like to urge reflection so that the pertinent messages and significance of this festive time are not lost. Christmas marks the birth of the saviour Jesus Christ whose exemplary life and teachings provide guidance for the upliftment of humanity.
Let us all be inspired by what he stood for to build a more tolerant society where hope of a better future becomes the prevailing sentiment and mood. As we celebrate, the PPP also urge that the needy and the less fortunate and the many others who are faced with challenges of various sorts remain in our thoughts and enjoy our usual generosity. As the New Year beckons, new challenges may be forthcoming but if we remain steadfastly hopeful, we as Guyanese will overcome them.
Season Greetings to all!
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GUYANA AGRICULTURAL AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION
Christmas, as we know, is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. His religion – Christianity – has survived many trials in its history and is known for many values humanity has embraced. Among these are peace and empathy for the poor and vulnerable. Today, in the Middle Eastern lands where Jesus Christ was born and where he lived we see continuous conflict and turmoil. Thousands are losing their lives, losing their homes and meagre possessions and forced to contend with dire circumstances.
In our Guyana, at the present time, we are witnessing growing intolerance and escalating economic pressures, unemployment and high-handedness stalk many communities. In this season, we see the heartless measure whereby sugar workers remain jobless and clueless about the future. Really, this will be the most challenging Christmas for the Guyanese working-class.
The human spirit, however, knows how to overcome adversity. Ways and means must once again be found to deal with our misfortunes. This is the season of hope and we must resolve to never give up. It must be noted that Jesus is regarded as a type of Religious rebel who confronted courageously the Roman rulers on behalf of the oppressed. Hope dwelt amongst them.
With the foregoing sentiments uppermost in our thoughts, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) joins the Christian community in celebration, yet again, in this season of Christmas. We wish the Christian community, indeed all Guyanese, a joyous season. This season now transcends its origins as all Guyanese seem to be caught up in some aspect of the twelve-day celebration whether in church, home or community. Christmas signals the closure of 2018 a year of severe challenges for the masses of Guyanese. It also brings us to the threshold of a New year, which if it is to be a better year requires our united struggles and selfless efforts.
The celebration of Christmas 2018 embraced by so many, presents the opportunity for togetherness to prevail over selfishness, political high-handedness and discrimination and set our nation on the path to harmony and strive to ensure that peace and goodwill among men and women prevail.
A joyful Christmas and a New Year of Hope from GAWU – to all Guyana!
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