Govt committed to protecting religious, other freedoms of citizens – AG

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is committed to working to protect the freedoms citizens enjoy, whether religious or any other enshrined in the Constitution.

This is according to Attorney General Anil Nandlall during an event hosted by the Hare Krishna Study Centre, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD), on Sunday.
According to Nandlall, freedom is essential to the functioning of a society and must be safeguarded – particularly after the events that followed the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
“In Guyana we have religious freedom, guaranteed by our Constitution, as a fundamental right. And we must not take that freedom for granted. Some speakers before me made reference to what is taking place in other parts of the world, where wars are still being fought, people are still dying, for the right to worship. To exercise one’s religious beliefs. We have that in Guyana and we must cherish that.”
“When one right is threatened, the rights of all are threatened. And we just came out of a very important period in our history, where our rights were being threatened. Fortunately, we were able to prevail. When those things happen, you’re fight for a cause. For freedom. For God. For religion. They’re all entwined. They’re all related.”
According to the AG, it is a slippery slope when one freedom is taken away, because the other freedoms usually follow. Speaking on behalf of his Government, Nandlall emphasised that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government will do its utmost to safeguard those precious freedoms.
“Speaking on behalf of the Government, our Government will continue to ensure that freedom predominates in this country. Religious freedom and all freedoms. And we will continue to work to ensure that there is national unity and at the same time diversity. Because it is these differences that come together to make us uniquely Guyanese. And we will continue to work to ensure those objectives,” he said.
The Hare Krishna organised event was to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. The late Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) commonly known as the Hare Krishna Movement.
During that event President Dr Irfaan Ali, who delivered the main address had also spoken about freedoms. According to the President, it is important for all to subscribe to the tenets of freedom, and fundamental rights.
Similarly, the President added that the same efforts that Guyanese use to preserve their spiritual beliefs should be used to enhance the unification of the country. He noted that Guyanese must understand that society is governed by certain principles and values, and as such, they need to commit to ensuring that these are never broken.
Also attending Sunday’s celebration were former President Donald Ramotar; Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd; Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr; Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy and the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa, among other officials.