Dear Editor,
I was saddened by the passing of Prabhudial Sattan on Tuesday last. A lot has been written about the leadership in Guyana’s struggle for independence and democracy, however this would not have been possible in the absence of the contributions of local unsung heroes of grassroot ilk like the late Prabhudial Sattan whose prints have qualified him for folk hero status within the political and religious sphere. Both the PPP and Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha benefited immensely from Mr. Satan’s loyalty and selfless contributions. His membership in the PPP would have spanned some six decades and he would have been a founding member of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.
I first met Mr. Sattan in April 1978 in front of Freedom House as the PPP was organizing protesters to picket the passing of the Bill for a new constitution. The picketing exercise in front of Parliament was lively with the PNC supporters carrying placards for the bill while the PPP was demonstrating against the Bill. Here, I would get a firsthand account of Mr. Sattan’s passion with his thunderous voice chanting” Kill the Bill”. He enjoyed elections periods and for years would hit the ground running by getting citizens registered and turning up to vote. It was therefore relevant that when the PPP organized a wake and tribute for him last Wednesday, that a tribute by our learned Attorney General Mr. Anil Nandal made special reference to Mr. Sattan’s field work as a loyal foot soldier who was responsible for accession to the high offices held by the current authorities.
I think the moment that Mr. Sattan cherished the most was his service on the Georgetown City Council in 1994 after the first local government election in nearly two decades that produced a hung council with neither the GGG, PNC nor PPP receiving a majority. However, there was a gentleman’s agreement in 1994 between the leaders of the three main parties to have a rotating Mayorship. That fell apart after the PNC reneged on their commitment when the PPP’s turn came for Mayor. The details of this sordid episode are for another discussion, but this left a deep mistrust in the political arena. I remembered when another political stalwart the late Luis Mitchel popularly known as Coffee who served as a PPP councillor at the time died, Mayor Green in paying tribute to him at Freedom House stated that when a party has such a dedicated activist then that organization will be very strong. The same could be attributed to Mr. Sattan. It would remis of me if I did not mention that despite his years of service and more so the PPP Government boasting of their house lot distributions, Mr. Sattan never received a house lot and never went cap in hand begging for any favours and lived most of the time on a rented premises.
Mr. Sattan was a leading member of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, a great Field Marshall. He was a regular at the Radha Krishna mandir on Sundays and respected Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud with a reverence so much so that I would tantalize him that he was Pandit Reep’s Aide de Camp (ADC). He played a leading role in organizing the Phagwa Mela with chowtal singing and the Diwali motorcade. The Hindu community will surely miss his high-profile presence.
He was not a person of letters but very knowledgeable and honest. I always remember him mostly in a yellow shirt-jac as a dependable activist, loud- mouthed but courteous. He was also very courageous, despite being violently attacked by PNC thugs and House of Israel goons while conducting his activism. He had an accumulated mixture of facts, idiosyncrasies and anecdotes on his days when the PPP was in opposition.
Farewell to a fallen warrior.
May his Soul rest in peace.
Yours faithfully,
Rajendra Rampersaud
