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GUYANA observed the death Anniversary of a prominent Guyanese historian and political activist, Dr. Walter Anthony Rodney. The Progressive Youth Organization (PYO), the youth arm of the PPP is calling on all members of the Guyanese society to join with us on paying our deepest respect for this great and true freedom fighter. Dr. Rodney who was born on March 23, 1942 andwas assassinated on June 13,h 1980.
The PYO in a statement said this year marks 33 years since the death of Dr. Rodney and to date, no one has been arrested for his assassination despite overwhelming world belief that points the finger at the PNC Government of the day and many of their operatives at the time, some of whom are still prominent in the political landscape today.
“Dr. Rodney was an internationally recognised Guyanese historian who devoted his life to eliminating racial division among Guyanese, a fight which publicly angered the then President Burnham and which he later paid for with his life.”
“To date, the PNC has never apologised for the killing of Dr. Rodney or sought to investigate the murder. The WPA, which Dr. Rodney founded, has even joined with the prime suspect as a coalition partner in APNU. Its current disgraced leaders have even publicly justified the killing of Dr. Rodney and stymied attempts to investigate the circumstances of his death. It was only when the PPP Government came into power that action was taken and an international probe was launched to have the then accused Gregory Smith extradited from French Guiana to stand trial. This the PYO deems as a blatant disregard and disrespect by the opposition for the life of a scholar- a man who devoted much to Guyana’s history,” the PYO said
| “Dr. Rodney was an internationally recognised Guyanese historian who devoted his life to eliminating racial division among Guyanese, a fight which publicly angered the then President Burnham and which he later paid for with his life”- PYO |
The PYO said it supports the effort by the PPP/C Government and President Donald Ramotar to establish an International Commission of Inquiry into the assassination of Dr. Rodney. It is the general belief that while Gregory Smith played an integral role in the assassination, he surely was not the master mind.
The PYO disclosed that in memory of the hard work that Dr. Rodney performed on behalf of the people of Guyana, it will be launching a youth cricket competition in July which it hopes would become an annual event and is aimed at keeping the memory of this great freedom fighter alive.
