FOLLOWING deliberations which ran into the early hours of Tuesday morning, the National Assembly adopted the report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the killing of Guyanese scholar, Dr. Walter Rodney, paving the way for the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the document.

The motion calling for the adoption of the recommendations, which attracted over five hours of heated debate from both sides of the House, was cleared just after 00:34 hours, and will finally put the speculation pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Rodney, among other issues which were left to be debated in the court of public opinion, to rest.

On June 13, 1980, 38-year-old Dr. Rodney was in the front passenger seat of his Mazda Capella motor car bearing registration number PBB2344, in the vicinity of John and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, with his brother Donald Rodney, who was in the driver’s seat, when an explosion occurred, killing Dr. Rodney, and leaving Donald with minor injuries.

The infamous killing sent shockwaves throughout the world and has been a topic for heated debate locally, where the public was left to draw conclusions on the death purely based on assumptions rather than facts, at least until the CoI, which was established in 2014 under the Ramotar administration, heard the matter and compiled their report.

The motion for the adoption of the recommendations was presented by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, who told the House that is it imperative to “do what is right, even if it is 41 years after,” and acknowledged the contributions of Dr. Rodney who fought vigorously for democracy.

This is the third motion presented in the National Assembly on Dr. Rodney by Teixeira. The first motion was tabled in the Ninth Parliament in 2005 calling for a CoI into the assassination of Dr. Rodney and the second was tabled in 2016 for the CoI report to be adopted and its recommendations implemented.

In 2016, the motion was placed before the House and carried but the then government amended the ‘be it resolved’ clause to read: “The National Assembly acknowledges the report… calls on the government to take measures to examine the findings and recommendations contained in the report in order to ascertain whether any, and if so, which are acceptable and implementable.”

By way of the new motion, Teixeira asked the National Assembly to take steps to implement the recommendations of the CoI report in order to preserve and strengthen the democratic architecture of the state, especially considering the country’s experience during the five-month impasse, which followed polling day on March 2, 2020.

Minister Teixeira also asked that measures be taken to ensure that the complete report emanating from the CoI is made public and “publicly available electronically.”
During her presentation, Teixeira examined the 12 recommendations made by the CoI, led by Chairman Sir Richard Cheltenham, K.A., Q.C., which was appointed to enquire and report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Rodney.

She expounded on recommendations 9.1 to 9.8 which explicitly mention the need for a well-trained and highly professional police force and army to serve impartially, and that investment in training is necessary for these institutions.

She also referred to recommendations 9.9 to 9.12, which notes that no party which occupies the seat of government should be able to tamper with the electoral system, that system should be entrenched in the Constitution; the Caribbean Community and other nations should be afforded access to observe elections and a programme should be implemented to strengthen ethnic harmony and a sense of national unity.

FORESIGHT
“Looking back at 2020, what was written in 2016 was certainly wise and certainly one that showed that they had some foresight into the risk we were facing as a country even at that time, 30 odd years after Rodney’s death and what we thought was the end of the Burnham era,” she said.

“Who amongst us doesn’t want to strengthen the democratic architecture of the state?” Teixeira asked, as she also questioned why the National Assembly would be divided to adopt a report which recommended investment in training to develop the joint services.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., rose to enlighten the House that the motion was drafted without the intention to attract the level of controversy the opposition has attached to it, but rather, it was simply to commemorate the 41st death anniversary of Dr. Rodney and to set the public record straight on the cause of his death, following a request from his family.

He reminded the House that at the 28th sitting of the National Assembly of the 12th Parliament on June 10, 2021, he had announced that the government will be undertaking a number of initiatives aimed at recognising Dr. Rodney’s life’s work. In honouring his legacy, the motion on Monday was one such initiative.

In honouring Dr. Rodney’s legacy, his gravesite and memorial will be declared national monuments under the administration of The National Trust, his death certificate, which currently described him as “unemployed,” will be corrected to read ‘Professor’ and his work would be incorporated into the national school syllabus by the Ministry of Education.

His works will also be distributed to pupils and students across the country, and his more iconic works, noteworthy “A History of the Guyanese Working People,” “Guyanese Sugar Plantations in the late Nineteenth Century,” and “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,” will be made available at the University of Guyana’s library, while the Walter Rodney Chair at the university will be re-established.

Added to those measures, Dr. Rodney’s death certificate will also be amended to replace his cause of death from “misadventure” to “assassination.” All of these measures are intended to bring closure to the Rodney family, particularly Dr. Rodney’s wife and children.

His brother, Donald was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison on February 26, 1982, for being in possession of the explosive device which killed his brother. Donald’s conviction was, however, set aside by the Court of Appeal in April this year.

Minister Teixeira, during her presentation, highlighted the hardships Donald endured for 41 years due to a miscarriage of justice.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Hugh Todd, reminded the House of the life of Dr. Rodney and his contributions, not only to Guyana, but to the Caribbean and the world at large, which helped to uplift the lives of the ordinary man through his advocacy.

He said Dr. Rodney paid the “ultimate price” in the fight for a better society for all Guyanese and that the implementation of the recommendations is another important step to honour Dr. Rodney and those who fought for a “free and prosperous” Guyana.

Presenting on the motion from the opposition benches were Tabitha Sarabo-Halley; Annette Ferguson; Ganesh Mahipaul; Amanza Walton-Desir; Jermaine Figueira; Nicolette Henry; Dawn Hastings-Williams; Shurwayne Holder and Roysdale Forde.

The opposition members of Parliament purported to support Dr. Rodney’s legacy, however, did not support the motion brought by Teixeira and sought to question the credibility of the CoI’s report.