…says the matter of his assassination is unfinished business
THE Working Peoples Alliance says it intends to formally engage President David Granger on the release of the findings of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the assassination of Dr Walter Rodney.
Rodney was killed on June 13, 1990 when a communication device exploded in his brother’s car near the Georgetown Prison. The Commission of Inquiry (COI) was convened in 2014 some 34 years after the assassination.
Responding to an article in the Stabroek News last week, under the caption, “Pat Rodney calls again on gov’t to make, public, Col report on Walter Rodney.” The WPA noted that the newspaper reported that Mrs. Rodney was speaking at an event, “Guyana Speaks,” in London, on Sunday, 27th October 2019. She is reported to have repeated the call for the government of Guyana to formally release the report of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry and for the authorities to act on the recommendations therein.
According to the WPA the newspaper report appears to suggest that the WPA is against the release of the report and is somehow in a conspiracy with the government to suppress it. “Nothing could be further from the truth. It is no secret that the issue of Walter Rodney’s assassination, and the abrupt termination of the COI by President Granger, upon his assumption of office in May 2015, remains one of the sore points in the relationship between the WPA and the leadership of the PNC and the government. The WPA has tried hard not to allow the President’s attitude to the Rodney Col and its findings to undermine the stability of the Coalition. In so doing some people have misread our attitude and feelings on the issue,” one of the founding members of the APNU alliance said.
According to the WPA it has never wavered on its firm belief that Dr Rodney was murdered at the direction of the government of the day and by forces aligned to the State because of his political activity. “His assassination was part of a reign of terror by the then regime against progressive and revolutionary forces, in particular the WPA which had openly and courageously challenged the regime. Two other WPA members, Ohene Koama and Edward Dublin, along with Catholic priest, Fr. Bernard Darke, were also cut down by the regime during that period. The findings of the COI confirm what we know to be the truth. It is an undeniable fact that Rodney had been victimised both in life and death by the actions and inactions of successive Guyanese governments,” the WPA said in its statement.
It added that “this is a painful reminder of the coarseness of Guyanese politics and a political culture that is hostile to mature and civilized human relations.” When the COI was terminated, WPA said its leaders berated the government for “what we saw as a narrow partisan act…” “At the urging of Mrs. Rodney, WPA again adds its voice in support of her call on the Guyana government to formally make public the report of the COI. We also support her call for the implementation of the recommendations.”
The WPA said whatever the feelings of the President and his party about the findings, they should no longer hide the report from the Guyanese people. “By continuing to suppress the report, they are unnecessarily prolonging this sad chapter in our country’s history. We reiterate our historical position that all outstanding issues relevant to this matter that negatively affect the Rodney family be addressed by the government and the State.
Towards this end, the WPA intends to formally engage the president on this issue. For the WPA, the matter of Rodney’s assassination is unfinished business,” the party said.
