Christmas Messages

Dec 25, 2014 News

People’s Progressive Party

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) extends Christmas Greetings to all Guyanese in particular, our Christian brothers and sisters on the festive season of Christmas which is a festival to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Christmas has evolved over the centuries into a national institution which has transcended the boundaries of race and nationalities. It is a time when peoples across the globe look out for each other and extend a hand of friendship to families and friends and those in need.
The PPP takes this opportunity to remind Guyanese not to loose sight of the core values of peace, humility and compassion even as we celebrate this auspicious occasion of Christmas.
This Christmas is being observed at a time when the country is confronted with severe challenges to our democracy by opposition forces who seem determined to turn back the wheels of progress and prosperity.
The PPP is however, confident that this spirit of peace and goodwill which characterize this season of the year will serve to further propel this country of ours to a brighter future where all Guyanese will be able to realize their potential and contribute fully to the task of nation building.
Once again a Happy Christmas to one and all.

A Partnership For National Unity

Christmas is a time to rejoice in Jesus Christ’s miraculous birth and marvelous message to all mankind. It is also a time to rekindle the Guyanese spirit of good will.
The message of the Gospel of St. Luke in the Holy Bible: “… on earth, peace, goodwill to all men” is as valid today as it was two millennia ago. Jesus Christ’s earthly mission changed the course of human history. His ministry of mercy and compassion continues to change our lives every day.
Jesus Christ’s advent makes Christmas a special, sacred season. The annual celebration of His birth is a reminder of the fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet, Isaiah, in the Holy Bible of His advent and incarnation as the “Prince of peace.”
Guyanese of all religions have also been inspired by prospect, promises and prophecies of peace, and have been encouraged by the season’s sense of social responsibility. Ordinary people, social organisations and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) have been reaching out with compassion to cheer and care for their brothers, sisters and children in difficult circumstances.
Our Partnership recognises the service of our nurses, pilots, public servants, seamen, soldiers and other workers who maintain our public services so that others could be safe and comfortable at this time. We remember the aged, our children, the poor and other vulnerable citizens. We are grateful for their service and sacrifice.
We join all Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora in making Christmas 2014 a day of “peace and good will.”
Happy Christmas to all Guyanese!

AFC CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
Christmas is a time that holds great meaning. For Guyanese it is that time of the year when we come together to share gifts and well-wishes, re-kindle relationships and form new friendships, all in the spirit of goodwill.
As we celebrate and relish the joys of this season, let us spare a thought for those whose season is overshadowed by grief and despair; those who lost a parent, sibling or other loved one due to domestic violence, a speeding or drunk motorist, or whose grief was brought about by the suicide of a loved one. Let us spare a thought for those who lost personal belongings, or whose livelihood was affected by the recent floods. Let us remember in our hearts and prayers the many persons who are battling cancer. Say a prayer for the less fortunate, especially the children who did not get a toy or new clothes this Season; things that many take for granted.
This Christmas Season let us reflect on the enduring message of Christmas; that of hope. It is with hope of a brighter future that we find the strength and courage to face the many challenges that confront us each day.
May the hope for a brighter future fill our hearts this Christmas Season and may we share that joy with all.
Season Greetings from the Alliance For Change.

People’s National Congress Reform

The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ – celebrated by most Christians on December 25– is recorded in the Gospel according to St Luke as heralding an era of “peace on earth and good will toward men.”
Jesus’s 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.
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.
Christmas has become more than a religious festival when we rejoice in Jesus’s miraculous birth and his marvelous message to mankind. It has become an occasion to rekindle the Guyanese spirit of goodwill and to be grateful for the service and sacrifice of others.
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’s message of mercy and his ministry to the poor and needy the main motifs of their celebration.

Guyana Trades Union Congress Christmas Message

The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) in joining the world to celebrate the birth of the Christian Messiah calls on all to put His philosophy into practice. GTUC particularly calls on the Government to give up the condemned and rejected practices of Caesars of old and live up to the good and peaceful expectations represented in this Season of Hope and Love for all Mankind.
For the time is now to respect the laws and institutions of State which are founded on teachings of equality and justice, amplified in the life of Christ.
In recognition of the life of Christ this is an opportune moment to recall the values He detailed during his time on earth, which continue to impact the world over. His was a sojourn among humankind marked by revolutionary thinking and actions.
His was the teaching and practice to create a New World Order where Justice and Fair Play would reign supreme.
And to this end He set about the task of calling attention to societal injustices and inequalities, challenging the status quo and entrenched thinking. He taught and led by example, as the Holy Book recounts His teachings on humility, equality, economic fair play and universal approach of attending to and dispensing justice.
His philosophy that good relations/administration/governance be underpinned with compassion and respect for the voice of the ordinary man and dispossessed remains relevant.
His was a teaching that toppled the notion and practice that might is right as He advocated the value for all to be held to the standards, and play by the same rules, be they titled or commoner.
The GTUC therefore calls on the believers in Christ doctrine to reassert themselves and spread these fundamental tenets of good life and governance in a new and progressive wave of liberation theology. As He admonishes, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching” (John 14:23 NIV).
The GTUC is prepared to stand with all Guyanese to embrace these fine qualities to make Guyana a better place for all.

Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)

It is repeated every December: the Christian Festival and Season of Christmas now tends to envelope all of Guyana’s peoples in its celebrations, in some form or the other.
This does not happen in other societies where Christians might be in a minority, where there is intolerance or where there is continuous conflict. In Guyana, however, the universal messages of hope, sharing, charity and the joy humans need are easy to embrace. Additionally, Christmas precedes and includes the dawning of a new calendar year, according to the western counting of time. And a new year always signals hope and new beginnings.
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) joins the Christian community and all Guyana in the celebration of Christmas 2014. The union’s thousands of members comprise a significant proportion of Guyana’s workforce. They all use this Season to be family-oriented, to be generous and, in the case of devout Christians, to relive the story of the birth of their Messiah, Jesus.
The Guyanese people always yearn for those behaviours to inform their leaders’ actions. Recent evidence emanating from the political leaders does not persuade us that positive co-operation, putting Guyana first, is imminent. What a pity for a people who collectively join Christians in one aspect of positive harmony.
It is GAWU’s hope that impending elections some time in 2015 will not sully the national fabric any further. Campaigning can be civil, dealing with issues and programmes, rather than personalities and assassination of character.
GAWU looks on the brighter side of the new year 2015 as we all, as one people, enjoy Christmas 2014.

Guyana Public Service Union

Traditionally, Christmas arouses that spirit of goodwill in people regardless of race, ethnicity religion or culture. It is that season of love, sharing and festivities that are intended to contribute to an environment of joy and happiness reducing tension and conflict and encouraging more pleasant and harmonious relationship which manifests itself in a spirit of generosity, caring, compromises, giving and sincerity in expressions for best wishes.
Unfortunately, in Guyana for some time now citizens generally, and more especially workers in the public service, have been repeatedly maneuvered to act in conflict with the previous wonderful experiences that they have enjoyed during this time.
This undesirable situation has been the deliberate and mischievous product of an uncaring government and employer with contempt for public service workers, regardless of the fact that they have faithfully and efficiently carried out their duties.
2014 has witnessed the degeneration to baseless levels of conduct of an administration which promised to remedy previous abuses and respect the sacred tenets of collective bargaining, but instead honoured these commitments in the breach.
These tests and trials of our strength, fortitude and determination rather than weaken us, had made us more resolved to struggle for better conditions of work and values which are important to us. We must endeavor to rise above all provocation and display that quality of character which had made us the beacon of public service struggles in the region.
Despite the large sums of money spent by government on parties which give the facade of a caring employer while the workers have very little to put on their tables, let us remember the reason for the season and share goodwill among each other.
Even as we enjoy the little that we have I urge you to spare a thought for the persons in our
society who are less fortunate and endeavor to continue the struggle for a united
prosperous Guyana.
Peace, Goodwill, Happiness and a Merry Christmas to all.

Indian Arrival Committee
The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) wishes to send Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day Greetings to all Guyanese, especially those who are adherents of Christianity.
The IAC recognizes that hundreds of millions of persons across the globe venerate Jesus Christ, a Jewish carpenter and member of the local working class and preacher who was one of many teachers throughout history who brought the message of peace, unity and brotherhood among all peoples regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, class and whose birthday is traditionally celebrated on Christmas Day.
The IAC also recognizes the historical tradition of Jesus Christ being venerated as the prophet Isa by adherents of Islam and as ShriYesu Bhagwan by adherents of Sanatan Dharm.
The IAC recognizes that Christmas in Guyana has been celebrated since the advent of colonization of this land by the Dutch in the early 1600s.
The IAC also recognizes that these holidays are marked by excessive consumption of alcohol and therefore is calling upon all Guyanese who imbibe to do so with caution, and to maintain appropriate and acceptable behaviour while obeying the laws of Guyana, especially while driving on the roadways.
The IAC wishes all Guyanese a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.