WITH its life extended until the end of March, the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the 1980 explosion that killed political activist and then Working People’s Alliance (WPA) leader, Dr Walter Rodney will resume in earnest today for a marathon two-week session.At the last hearing, held at the Law Courts in central Georgetown, the brother of the late Dr Rodney took to the stand to give his evidence-in-chief.

Donald Rodney, who was in the car on June 13, 1980 when a bomb exploded killing Dr Rodney, told the COI they both had grown suspicious of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant Gregory Smith, the alleged assassin who delivered a bomb instead of a ‘walkie talkie’, killing the world-renowned historian and political activist.
Rodney appeared before the Commissioners, and was led in his evidence-in-chief by his attorney, Keith Scotland, and gave his recollection of Gregory Smith and the ‘walkie talkie’ that turned out to be a bomb.

He was adamant that at the time, he had no reason to believe that the device was a bomb.
“As far as I know, it was a ‘walkie talkie’; that is what I understood from Walter and Gregory Smith.”

He was also adamant that it never occurred to his brother, Walter, that it was an explosive being retrieved on the fateful night.
Donald Rodney identified Smith from a photograph printed on a book authored by the former GDF Sergeant, who had fled Guyana to nearby Cayenne (capital of French Guiana) after the suspected 1980 assassination of Dr Rodney.
Donald Rodney told Commissioners that he learnt of Sergeant Smith from his brother, Walter, who also told him of his rank and affiliation to the Army.
He said that his brother confided in him that Smith might have been unreliable, and this was compounded by the fact on more than one occasion when he attempted to uplift the walkie-talkie.
“I presume he based it on his experience,” Donald Rodney said. He told the COI that he had grown suspicious of the Army rank and his ability to deliver what was promised.
It was two weeks before the fateful night when Rodney for the first time uplifted a device from Smith to test it.

According to Donald Rodney, both he and his brother, Walter, went to the Russell and Howes Streets residence where he had met Smith before, and was given a device, and “I did not recognise it immediately as a walkie-talkie.”

In his description of the device to the Commissioners, Donald Rodney said what he collected was an electronic circuit set on a plywood base, partially boxed around.
“At all times, Walter and I believed its circuitry to be part of a walkie-talkie,” Donald Rodney said.
The walkie-talkie would have to be synchronised with another unit in Sergeant Smith’s possession, according to Donald Rodney, though he confessed to never actually seeing it.
“I was sent to collect a walkie-talkie unit; I was given what I believed to be a walkie-talkie unit,” Donald Rodney said.

After receiving instructions from Smith on how to effect the test, he drove Walter to a location on Sussex Street where the test was conducted, after which the device was returned to Sergeant Smith.
The next time Donald Rodney would collect the device from Sergeant Smith was on the night of Friday, June 13, 1980, when it exploded in Dr Rodney’s lap killing him instantaneously.

Donald Rodney, who has always been recognised as the lone witness to the assassination, told the Commissioners that he never actually gave a statement to the police.
According to Donald Rodney, he verbally related the events of that night to Attorney-at-Law, Moses Bhagwan, who, in turn, provided the police with a typed statement.
Relying on this 1980 statement, Donald Rodney said that he collected Walter at around 19:30 hrs that fateful night from outside the St Rose’s High School on Church Street, where the two had agreed to meet.

Driving a four-door Mazda Capella, PBB 2349, Donald told the Commissioners that the decision was made to use his car, since Walter’s would be left for his wife to use otherwise.

According to Donald Rodney, when they arrived at the Russell and Howes Street residence where Sergeant Smith lived, the Army rank was surprised to see him.
“Smith was surprised to see me. He asked where Walter was, and I didn’t think he was expecting me; I believe he expected Walter,” Donald Rodney said.
He told the COI that the test, on this occasion, as advised by Sergeant Gregory Smith, was to occur outside the walls of the Georgetown Prison.
On this occasion, the package collected by Donald Rodney was a wooden box that protruded out of the brown paper bag it was in.
Donald Rodney’s testimony was unceremoniously halted at this stage.

COI Chairman, Sir Richard Cheltenham, was forced to adjourn the hearings when problems developed with the Internet connection, leading to numerous complaints from persons in and outside of Guyana unable to follow the proceedings.
According to the Chairman since the inquiry is mandated to be a public hearing, with members of the public having difficulty listening to the feed, it would be better to adjourn so that by the time the COI meets again the technical snafu would have been addressed.

(By Gary Eleazar)