GUYANA SAID farewell to Sharief Khan last Thursday at a fitting ceremony dotted with dignitaries, which included President Bharrat Jagdeo, PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar, Head of the Climate Change Unit, Shyam Nokta, Head of the Guyana Revenue Authority Khurshid Sattaur, ministers of the government, heads of businesses and other dignitaries set aside their pressing commitments to attend the funeral of the veteran journalist at his brother’s home, before his body was taken to the Vergenoegen cemetery for interment.
Khan, a former Editor-in-Chief of the Guyana Chronicle and consultant to the Office of Climate Change, died last Tuesday morning at his home at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, of a suspected heart attack.  He was 59 years old, having been born on May 26, 1951.
At the time of his passing, Sharief was also a member of the Press and Publicity Unit of the Office of the President, where everyone was in a state of shock and disbelief at his sudden demise.
Always very ambitious, Khan pursued a career in journalism with a single-minded purpose.  He worked at several media houses until a unique opportunity presented itself in November 1992, when the newly-elected PPP/C Government needed an Editor-in-Chief for the State-run Guyana Chronicle newspaper.  Having obtained the appointment, Khan remained at the helm of the Chronicle until his retirement in February 2008.

His dual appointment at the Office of the President subsequent to his retirement provided him greater opportunity to pursue his ambitions, although a triple heart-bypass in 1998 had left him frail and ailing.

He was trusted implicitly by members of the government, and as President Bharrat Jagdeo observed in his tribute, Sharief was someone who exemplified hard work and commitment to his job.
At his funeral service, the President eulogized him, saying that although he does not like to speak at such distressing occasions, he is sometimes constrained to, especially since Sharief was such a dedicated worker in the several areas in which he served.
Originally from Vergenoegen, on the East Bank Essequibo, Sharief entered the journalistic arena as a freelance reporter for the print media, before joining the news team at Radio Demerara.
In 1978, he embraced the love of his life, print journalism, at the Guyana Chronicle, working under then General Manager and Editor-in-Chief, Carl Blackman; but the then administration did not allow him freedom of expression, which Sharief’s independent nature found unacceptable, so he resigned his position and began to ‘string’ for a number of media houses, including the Caribbean News Agency (CANA), before accepting a position as Information Assistant at the now defunct United States Information Service (USIS) in 1981.
At the height of the freedom fight, Sharief was in the thick of things through a new position as Chief Reporter at the Stabroek News, which he’d assumed in 1987, and much later as Editor of that newspaper.

Paying tribute, President Jagdeo bemoaned the sudden loss of someone whom he described as being full of life and enthusiastic about his contributions in the work that he was doing in the Climate Change Unit and the Press and Publicity Unit of the Office of the President.
Recalling the difficult years when freedom of expression was but a phrase in Guyana, the President said that Sharief was always fearless, with the courage of his convictions, because he believed in freedom of expression and he always used his special skills as an outstanding journalist to advocate for a better society and the body of rights that Guyanese enjoy today.
Speaking of the tremendous benefits accrued to the two departments at the Office of the President that profited from his journalistic skills, President Jagdeo said that Sharief’s writings always put things in the right perspective in a society where bad journalism is the rule rather than the exception.
He described Sharief as a simple, family-oriented person, who lived a life of contentment, passion and pride, which was worthy of emulation.
The Head-of-State revealed that he and other executives curtailed an executive committee so that they could attend Sharief’s funeral, which is an indication of the high esteem in which he was held.  He also promised that a special programme to reflect on Sharief’s life and his contributions to the society would be scheduled within the near future.
Speaking at the funeral also were Dr. Rovin Deodat, and Head of the Climate Change Unit, Shyam Nokta, who extolled Sharief’s work at the Climate Change Unit.  Nokta expressed the sense of loss he felt at Sharief’s sudden passing, and said that the entire staff at the Unit was devastated, because Sharief was an exemplary working associate who always lightened the atmosphere with a joke or a quick repartee.
According to Nokta, Sharief’s parting had left a void, and that his absence would be felt on a daily basis.  Nokta, describing Sharief as someone always willing to help, said that he had learnt a lot from Sharief and that he would miss him immensely on both a personal and professional level.
GNNL director, Tota Mangar extended his condolences to all who were bereaved by Sharief’s death and noted that Sharief had lived a gifted life, and that he was an exceptional journalist and a boss who had been very supportive of his editorial.  He lauded Sharief’s productivity in spite of his failing health..
Shaikh Moen-ul-Hakh, who conducted the funeral rites, said that Sharief’s life and actions were a lesson to emulate, because he shared information for the benefit of others; and that sharing gifts that are entrusted by God is the best way to earn salvation in the hereafter, which Brother Moen said is a lesson imparted by all religious teachings.  Brother Moen reminiscing on Sharief’s life, stated that he treated his family with honour, dignity, respect and love; which made him an exemplary person; because no person can say “I love you” to someone after they die, but Sharief exemplified love for his family through his actions.
Brother Moen recited a doha from the Holy Koran before the final Janazza.
Sharief’s body, lying in a simple white coffin, was laid to rest in the peaceful cemetery at Vergenoegen.