Satyadeow “Sash” Sawh – A Decade’s Viewpoint
“Death must not find us thinking that we die” – Death of a Comrade, by Martin Carter (Guyana’s National Poet)
It is hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the swoop of death befell our beloved husband and father, Satyadeow “Sash” Sawh. In that time, not a day has passed that we, his wife and sons, have not thought of him, be it through the trigger of a given event, the happenstance of a day, or in our quiet moments of reflection. He is with us, at all times, in all that we do. His memory – as a larger-than-life, honest, energetic, loving, compassionate, intelligent and sympathetic family-man – will burn brightly in us.
But who was Satyadeow Sawh? What was his story? Where did he make an impact? When did his influence extend beyond the realm of normal? Most importantly, why did he matter?
The limitations of a letter make it impossible to capture the entirety of Sash Sawh’s life. Suffice it to say, he was a very special man whose time among us was all too short, but was deeply significant in many ways. Besides being the heart of our home, he was an outstanding leader in every regard in the public domain. He served his homeland with passion and distinction, and put his all into making a difference for Guyana in whatever role he was placed.
It is easy, at times, to simply remember him for the way in which he died, and for the manner in which he, his siblings and security guard were killed on April 22, 2006. His death was as shocking as it was tragic, and the date will stand as a blight on the timeline of modern Guyanese history for years to come. The fact that there have been no clear answers as to the intellectual authorship behind the brutality of that night is, in itself, a shame. We, his family, continue to want answers, and ask that the politicisation that a thorough inquiry into the events of April 22, 2006 could be subjected to be avoided – the despicable acts of April 22, 2006 demand that an objective and complete answer to the questions that persist be obtained.? Sash Sawh deserves that much.
It would be unfortunate, though, for his half-century of inspiring life to be overshadowed by his death. We continue to honour who he was, not cower to how he went.
Satyadeow Sawh’s life is best captured by some of his key qualities. Above all else, he was a man of impeccable honesty and integrity. Throughout his life, be it as a son, husband and father, as a leader in the community, or as a representative of the people of Guyana locally or overseas, he lived by the principles of “satya” (truth) in all of his endeavours. He has blessed us, his family, with the ability to hold our heads high long after his passing, knowing that any stones ever cast at his name could never tarnish the brilliance of his character.
Hand in hand with his integrity came his zeal. He was, from a very young age, inspired by the concept of service over self, and always gave his time and energy to causes about which he was passionate. His ethics were grounded in his religious and moral upbringing, thanks to the lessons of his parents and his life experiences growing up in Mahaicony and, later, Georgetown.
From an early age, and through to his migration to Canada as a teenager in the early 1970s, Sash Sawh was absorbed by “the struggle” – the struggle for democracy famously led by the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, in whom he found an ideological leader and hero. He was, unapologetically, a Jaganite, and it is the quest for fairness in Guyana that fuelled his engagement with, and leadership of, the Association of Concerned Guyanese (ACG) in Toronto. As President of that group, he championed external agitation for a democratic Guyana, and the free and fair elections of 1992 were the culmination of his and the ACG’s struggles in Toronto, as much as they were for the PPP itself.
Sash Sawh’s passion and integrity fed into his immense capacity to lead. He was a born leader, blessed with a booming voice and an undeniable ‘people’s touch’ that allowed him to be in foreign lands discussing important matters one day, and in rural communities attempting to resolve real-world issues the next.
First, as Ambassador to Venezuela, he was a dynamic diplomat, and left an imprint on the fledgling Guyanese community in that country that led to him being awarded Venezuela’s second highest national award for non-nationals. Dr. Jagan recognised and harnessed this electricity, and called him to Guyana to serve as a Minister – first, within the Ministry of Agriculture, then of Fisheries, Crops and Livestock (with responsibility for Forestry), and eventually as Minister of Agriculture (acting) up to the time of his death. He served tirelessly under Presidents Cheddi and Janet Jagan and Bharrat Jagdeo, and gained a reputation as a fighter for the poor and working class. His constituents – the farmers of the nation – were his focus, and his vigour helped expand the agricultural sector beyond traditional pursuits, in turn helping to shift Guyana’s food security thrust in a new, necessary direction.
To try to capture every nuance of Satyadeow Sawh, the man, would be futile over the course of only a few lines. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that he was no ordinary man – he gave all that he could to be a devoted husband of almost 24 years to his wife, an ideal father to his sons, and an exemplary citizen of the world. To contemplate his ending, and all of the ramifications that hearsay, rumours, theories and postulations have offered, is to be frustrated daily, for he, and all of the victims of that night, did not deserve to go in the way which they went. Inspired by justice and fairness, the events of April 22, 2006 require justice to be served, unreservedly.
As we look back on a decade without our dear “Dad” among us, we do not lament, for lamentation would get us nowhere. His bellow was to always “heave on” in the face of adversity, and heave on we shall. But he was a champion of the cause of right over wrong. In the wake of his death, the “right” needs to emerge, so that the valuable contributions that Satyadeow Sawh made to this world will not be lost with his passing.
After all, “death must not find us thinking that we die.”
Rest in peace, we love you.
