CABINET was encouraged by the voluntary statements appearing in the media attributed to retired Army Brigadier, David Granger, with regard to disclosures being made by witnesses at the ongoing Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (COI).

Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon told reporters yesterday that Mr. Granger’s contributions made in the media were noted by Cabinet.

Granger was recently quoted by an online news outlet saying that he is not denying that the PNC may have killed people and rigged elections, but noted that these allegations must be thoroughly investigated, and that his Party is prepared to face the consequences based on the findings of such investigations.

Dr Luncheon said Cabinet noted the abandonment of the PNC-APNU’s earlier position of not supporting the COI and made reference to the retention of APNU member, Basil Williams, as the attorney to represent their Party’s interest at the hearings.

The Cabinet Secretary also expressed the hope that apart from his public comments, Granger, who was the Commander of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at the time Dr. Rodney was killed, would show greater commitment to the achievement of the Commission’s Terms of Reference (TORs). This means, that he would agree to appear before the Commission.

“Cabinet remains unclear about whether Granger’s public comments would be followed by greater commitments, more commitments to the achievement of the TORs (Terms of Reference) of the COI. Of course, that is saying, ‘would he appear before the commission’?”
Dr Luncheon said what is certain is that the military, according to Granger, was under some obligation to perform acts that may be material for the consideration of the commission.
“Indeed the Defence Board and its Chairman have both been approached by the commission soliciting information from the military, about the military, and information that obviously the commission considers germane in their work and discharging their responsibilities under the COI Act,” Dr Luncheon said.
Just recently, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) called on the commission to summon Granger, who is Leader of the main Opposition parliamentary political party, A Partnership for National Unity, to address the COI concerning the assassination of world-renowned Guyanese scholar and leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. Walter Rodney.
In a statement, the ruling party said, “From all indications, Granger and the PNC (People’s National Congress) must have a wealth of information that would be useful to the Commission’s work.”
It noted that the PNC, which forms a major part of the APNU coalition, and Granger “should not be ashamed that their past record will be revealed to the hundreds of thousands of Guyanese, especially the youths of Guyana.”
“The Party is reminded of Granger’s statement, while he had been campaigning for the leadership of the PNC that his membership in the PNC goes back to over forty years. In this respect Granger would have much to contribute to the Commission of Inquiry,” the PPP stated.
“The PNC continues to use their non-participation in drafting the Terms of Reference (TORs) as a red herring for their non-participation in the COI.”
“Moreover, having failed to convince the Rodney family to effect changes to the TORs of the Commission, they then sought to discredit Commissioners Cheltenham and Jairam, claiming that these two respected and learned gentlemen were ‘anti-PNC’.
“Further, PNC Chairman Basil Williams tried to cast aspersions on the methodology of the hearings, claiming that evidence being given by persons who lived through those days is mere hearsay,” the PPP stated.
According to the ruling party, these “antics” of the PNC are clearly aimed at confusing the public.