Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan maintained yesterday that the gazetted date of the Diwali holiday this year remains November 10 and there will be no consideration for changes.
This is against the backdrop of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) insisting that the date is November 11, while another organisation, the Veerat Sabha, puts the date as November 10.
When Stabroek News contacted Ramjattan yesterday, he said he had received a letter of complaint from the Veerat Sabha, regarding the November 10 date for the Hindu festival. As a result, Ramjattan said, he sent the complaint to President of the GHDS Dr Vindhya Persaud and she responded in written format that the date is November 11, which will be the darkest night of the year.
Ramjattan further said that he had contacted pandits and other officials around the country including a leader from Trinidad & Tobago, all of whom support November 10. He said that in support of November 10 he received some 89 signatures from pandits nationwide.
He clearly stated that under the law he is the one who holds the authority to make the announcement as to when holidays should be celebrated and had done nothing else than stated.
Meanwhile, at a media briefing held yesterday, Persaud said the GHDS, mandirs across the country and other Hindu organizations are extremely disappointed and upset with the minister’s decision and will be celebrating Diwali on November 11. She said they viewed the “high handed and dictatorial” decision made by Ramjattan as a total disrespect and disregard of the Hindu community.
She claimed that while the minister met other organizations and took the decision, the GHDS was never invited for a discussion and rather just heard about a date being gazetted.
She said the GHDS was the only organization that was left in the dark while a decision was taken, something that had never occurred in the 40 years of its existence.
A number of pandits and representatives from various temples were present yesterday in support of the November 11 date.
Meanwhile, Persaud said the dates for the annual motorcades remain the same November 6 to 10 and will not be adjusted. She called on the minister to reconsider his decision.
