ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall, at the 28th sitting of the National Assembly, disclosed that the Government of Guyana will be implementing a number of measures to properly honour the life and work of the late Dr. Walter Rodney. Among the several initiatives announced are an amendment to Dr. Rodney’s death certificate to read ‘death from assassination’ instead of ‘misadventure’; correcting his status to that of ‘Professor’ instead of ‘unemployed’ and making his gravesite a national monument. In addition, the Walter Rodney Chair at the University of Guyana will be reactivated. According to the minister, the initiatives taken followed a request by the Rodney family — his wife, children and brother to bring a level of closure to the matter. Walter Anthony Rodney was born on March 23, 1942 to Edward and Pauline Rodney. His assassination took place on June 13, 1980, leaving to mourn his wife Patricia, children Asha, Shaka and Kanini. At the time of his assassination, his brother Donald Rodney was also injured.

Dr. Rodney, now Professor Rodney, was born into a working-class family.  He attended the University College of the West Indies in 1960 and was awarded a first-class honours degree in History in 1963.  He later went on to earn a PhD in African Studies in 1966 at the age of 24. His dissertation on the Slave Trade on the Upper Guinea Coast was published by the Oxford University Press in 1970, under the title “A History of the Upper Guinea Coast 1545-1800.” He also wrote several books and other publications, among which were “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,” “Groundings with my Brothers,” “The Russian Revolution,” “A History of the Guyanese Working people, 1881-1905″ and “Decolonial Marxism.” These and other publications will now be made available to education institutions in Guyana, including the University of Guyana.

Dr Rodney had travelled widely and became known internationally as an academic and a revolutionary. He taught at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and at the University of the West Indies. On his return to Guyana in 1974, Dr. Rodney was denied employment at the University of Guyana by the then PNC-controlled University Council.  He became increasingly involved in the country’s politics and founded the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) which was aimed at creating political consciousness, replacing ethnic politics with revolutionary organisations based on class solidarity.

Ideologically and politically, he was closer to Dr. Cheddi Jagan and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), even though there were differences in terms of tactics and strategies during an environment of dictatorial rule and denial of fundamental human rights. His role in the struggle for democracy against the Burnham dictatorship is legendary. In 1979 he was arrested and charged with arson after two government buildings were burnt, and one year later, paid the ultimate price for fearlessly standing up for a cause which he held passionately and deeply, namely, a free and democratic Guyana.It is ironic that after his passing, the leadership of the WPA, for reasons best known to itself, took a decision to join forces with the PNC, which was responsible for the assassination of its founding leader.

The decision to properly honour and recognise the work and legacy of the late Professor Walter Rodney could not have come at a more opportune time, when the country is now in the process of consolidating democracy and the democratic gains of the Guyanese people, for which the late Dr. Rodney dedicated his entire life and paid the ultimate price. It is unfortunate that he was cut down in the prime of his political and academic careers, which deprived him of an opportunity to contribute more fully to the country’s development. The entire country and the international community are poorer for his untimely passing.

In a statement, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) of which Dr. Rodney was the founder-member, welcomed the initiative taken by the government. Could this be a case of ‘too little too late,’ especially when seen against the background of the position taken by that party on the release of the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the death of Dr. Rodney by the then President Donald Ramotar.President Dr Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C administration must be commended for correcting the false narrative that was peddled over the decades by the PNC regarding the circumstances of Dr. Rodney’s death. This is a case of setting the records straight, which can only be seen as a step in the right direction in so far as our political history is concerned and healing the wounds of our past. It is hoped that the actions taken by the government will indeed go a far way in bringing closure to a tragic and painful episode in our national political life.