The PPP/C has launched a booklet in honour of the late agriculture minister Satyadeow Sawh, almost one year after the minister and two of his siblings were gunned down at his Earl’s Court, La Bonne Intention (LBI) home.
And though the police have so far arrested and charged one man in connection with the murders, other members of the gang remain at large.
The booklet titled, ‘In memory of Satyadeow Sawh’ which was compiled by party members, chronicles the minister’s life, his achievements, aspirations and contributions to the development of Guyana.
At a simple launching ceremony the PPP/C held at Freedom House on Wednesday, party member and former agriculture minister Navin Chandarpal said the minister’s assassination occurred at a time when Guyana was faced with an escalation of criminal activities which according to him had a “strong interconnection with political activities.”
“It is clear that Sash’s assassination was by an attempt to further drive fear among the population and to add to an intention to disrupt the 2006 elections process,” Chandapal said.
He alluded to what he called the minister’s commitment to struggle and urged members of the party to recommit and rededicate themselves to defending democracy and ensuring that it was not brought under pressure.
“We have a responsibility to contributing to the defence of our democracy and ensure that no one could take that right away from us,” he added.
Party member Geoff Da Silva also spoke at the simple ceremony and labelled the initiative as “a fitting tribute” to the late minister.
Da Silva said it was still difficult for him to accept how the minister’s life was taken and he noted that the first anniversary of his death on April 22 this year would be an occasion not only to feel sad but to celebrate his life.
Recounting his moments with the late minister, Da Silva said, “I liked his spirit; he exemplified commitment and loyalty to his family, the party, the country. He saw all of them together and represented them everywhere he went.”
Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela Dr Odeen Ishmael also contributed recalled the life of the minister, who he said had asked him to represent him at a meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
“He had called my secretary and asked her to ask me to attend the meeting for him, and when he returned the call I was not there so he left the message with her to remind me to attend the meeting that same Friday night that he was killed,” Ishmael said.
In officially commending the book, party general secretary Donald Ramotar referred to the difficulties that the party had endured both locally and abroad and how determined Sawh was to make certain sacrifices for the party.
“Shortly before he died we were planning to go back to Venezuela to bring the Guyanese over there up to date with what was happening here, but unfortunately he passed away before we could do that,” he said
“I most remember Sawh for how he made hard work light and anything that was difficult, easy,” Ramotar added.
The party members all agreed that they would particularly miss the minister’s inputs as the death anniversary of former party leader Cheddi Jagan comes closer.
Since Jagan’s death, Sawh was the person who co-ordinated all observance activities. Ramotar said once the party conceived what it wanted to do in Sawh’s memory it had asked stalwart and former President Janet Jagan to put together all the information and she was ably assisted by the Catholic Standard press which worked with her in the collection of pictures for the book.
He said the publication would not be the only notable thing through which the late minister’s work and his contribution to the country’s development would be remembered.
President Bharrat Jagdeo was not present and no explanation was offered for his absence. An excuse was offer-ed for the absence of Agricul-ture Minister Robert Persaud.
Satyadeow Sawh, his brother Rajpat Sawh, sister Pulmatie Persaud and security guard Curtis Robertson were shot dead just after midnight on April 22 last year by a gang of seven men dressed in military camouflage-type apparel. Sawh’s dog was also killed in the attack.
The minister’s wife Sattie Sawh and another brother Om Prakash who were also in the home at the time survived the attack.
