…but Rodney, the WPA had no propensity for violence

FOR the most part of last week, veteran political activist and co-founder of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Eusi Kwayana, testified at the Commission of Inquiry (COI) investigating the death of brilliant historian/politician Dr Walter Rodney, who died in an elaborate assassination plot 34 years ago. 

Kwayana was called to the witness stand four days in a row, ever since the second session of the COI resumed on Tuesday in the Supreme Court Law Library, Georgetown. The first four-day session concluded early May.
The proceedings last week opened with cross examination of Rodney’s eldest sibling, Lawrence Edward Rodney, by People’s National Congress (PNC) Lawyer Basil Williams. So far, only Rodney and Reverend Reuben Gilbert (Gilbert was called in the first session) have completed giving their testimony.

The first witness, Senior Superintendent of Police Leslie James, attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Red Thread Coordinator Karen De Souza are still to return.
The proceedings are being conducted before Commissioners Richard Cheltenham, Seenath Jairam and Jacqueline Samuels-Brown. The Commission’s Lead Counsel is Glen Hanoman.
Upon resumption Tuesday, COI heard how PNC agencies had arranged for a more “hospitable scene” by removing armed guards and a mobile police outpost around the prison area where Rodney was assassinated. This was done so that when Rodney was assassinated, it would say that he was planning to bomb the prison.
Eighty-nine-year-old Kwayana, who now resides in San Diego, California, United States, testified that he was at his Buxton, East Coast Demerara home when he got the “terrible news” of Rodney’s death in the middle of the night from another party member, Rupert Roopnarine.
Following this, he said he, along with a team of other party members, went to the Camp Street prison block in Georgetown and interviewed residents and businesses about police presence in the

area during the days leading up to Rodney’s death.
The team found out that four armed guards were stationed at this location, one at each corner of the prison. According to the residents, Kwayana said, there was also a mobile police outpost that was usually in Bent Street. In the days leading up to Rodney’s death, however, Kwayana said all of the guards as well as the police outpost had been removed. Elements of the State and the security force therefore were in expectation that something was about to happen, Kwayana said.
“If this was true, then this tied the State in to the crime because the State had been instructed to arrange a more hospitable scene, to make it more inviting for the bombing,” Kwayana remarked.
On Wednesday, he recalled death threats uttered by Burnham but said the WPA members had no idea to what extent such threats would go. Kwayana said Burnham’s threats were a declaration of war and they were directed against the WPA.
In the ‘Report on the Third Biennial Congress of the PNC, August 22-26, 1979’ tendered into evidence, Burnham had said while referring to the WPA: “Comrades, they had better make their wills, because so far as we are concerned, we are not asking them for quarter and we will not give them any. Comrades, we are now in the Roman Amphitheatre. The lion and the gladiator cannot both survive; one must die, and we know that the PNC will live.”
On Thursday, Kwayana maintained that Rodney had no propensity to violence but was a student to social change. He testified that from his conviction, Gregory Smith must be held responsible for Rodney’s death.
But he did he did not believe Smith was acting on his own, but was following instructions from someone he was bound to obey. The entire plot showed state involvement, he said. Kwayana said his core belief was that Rodney’s death was caused by the PNC and that his conviction was based on all of the evidence and circumstances available to him.
According to him, the PNC cannot escape responsibility because it was in charge of all state machinery, and held all ministries capable of giving directions to intelligence officers. Furthermore, vigorous investigation into Rodney’s death was absent.
Under cross examination by Basil Williams Friday, the COI heard from Kwayana that Rodney was resolute about his declaration of removing the PNC Government, led by Burnham, from office.
In a speech by Rodney on July 20, 1979 called the ‘The Struggle Goes On,’ Rodney had said, in part: “There is no way out under the present system so we have got to make up our minds what we are deciding now within the WPA. It is not that they must reform. It is not that they must hold another election and win it all up. We finish with all that. They must go. The PNC must go. And they must go by any means necessary.
“Brothers and sisters, I am aware of the preferred mode of transportation of King Kong. But you see, King Kong has decided he wanted to build a palace to his ego and a monument to his own stupidity so that he could sit inside and be a monument inside a monument.
“One of the brothers in the audience, when we were at Grove yesterday, suggested to us that what was required was to extend the zoo to take in the residence. And then, we would have one of the most prized exhibits of any zoo in the world. People would come from all over the world and pay money to see King Kong.”
“The other evening, speaking at another site, I have to draw the analogy to say that if there ever was such a thing called the Midas touch, which was the touch that made everything turn into gold, then we would have a new ration in this society-the Burnham touch, where everything he touches turns to shit.”
But Kwayana said Rodney’s words did not translate to personal hatred for Burnham and maintained that Rodney had no propensity to violence. He said it was a matter of a political disagreement and, probably, a rejection of the whole ‘Burnham’ regime.
Kwayana will return Monday morning and cross-examination will continue. Major General (ret’d) Norman McLean is expected to take the stand on Tuesday.

(By Telesha Ramnarine)