Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has extended greetings to the nation on the occasion of Easter. The following is her address to the country.

“Today we joyfully join our Christian brothers and sisters in saying “He is risen, He is risen!” as we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. As I extend warm Easter greetings to all throughout our nation, I am mindful that I do so at a time when the blessed message of the resurrection of Jesus, signifying life conquering death, has never been more relevant and needed given the turbulent times before us.

As our world and our nation battle the ongoing pandemic, many of us are faced with economic hardship, fear for the health of our loved ones and mental burdens. However, we must let the resurrection of Jesus fill us with the message of new life, resurrected hope and renewed faith for a better future.

Today, while we may all share different religious beliefs, we are all sharing in the uncertainty which COVID-19 has brought to our shores. Therefore, as a united people, we should build on the heartwarming message of renewal which our Christian friends celebrate today. We must find hope in the fact that good always prevails.

Today as our Christian community renews their belief that through Jesus’ resurrection, He comes alongside us in our suffering, offers comfort, love and healing in all we are going through, we must also build upon this belief in our own lives, knowing that God will renew our nation.

I call on all citizens to remove the tombstones of doubt, of fear, hurt, ill will and replace them with resurrected love towards each other and the spirit of hope, knowing that we will not only survive, but together we will restore and rebuild.

This blessed Easter season requires us all to renew our commitment to our country and to our fellowman, pledging ourselves to do the best that we can to ensure that hand in hand we come out stronger than before as a nation.

May God continue to bless us as a people. Let us have hope and offer comfort to each other by our positive actions, and with a determined spirit, knowing that we will conquer this crisis as Jesus conquered death to rise on the third day.”