Georgetown: Days after its life came to an end on September 30, the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the death of Dr Walter Rodney has been further extended to January 2015.
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon made the announcement recently. This second extension, since the start of the Commission in February of this year, was approved by Cabinet, after the recommendation was made by the Commission’s sponsor, President Donald Ramotar.
Dr Luncheon said the Commission has been conducting the public inquiry since April of this year, noting that it was likely that the hearings would continue into 2015. Asked about the nature of the hearing and the concerns raised over the “open endedness” of the investigation, Dr Luncheon said Government has gathered along the way that the Commission would be inclined to accommodate the many witnesses who have indicated their willingness to participate. He added that the Government would not be surprised that in its inclination to take in those witnesses, the Commission was further extended after the January 31 deadline.
According to Dr Luncheon, the Commission has advised that the hearing will recommence on Monday, October 20 and will last some three weeks until November 7.
Dr Luncheon, however, did not say if any additional funding would be allocated to the Commission, which constitutes its Chairman, Barbadian Queen’s Counsel Sir Richard Cheltenham; Jamaican Queen’s Counsel Jacqueline Samuels Brown; and Trinidad-based Guyanese Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam.
President Ramotar had indicated to this publication last month that he would have to once again extend the life of the Commission.
And in response to threats by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to withhold its support for additional funding for the Commission, the President said that should the need arise, his administration will have to pump more money into the Inquiry.
The Head of State had said that the work of the Commission, which is aimed at determining the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr Rodney, must come to completion.
Since the death of Dr Rodney, WPA Co-Founder and political stalwart, on June 13,1980, fingers have been pointed in the direction of the People’s National Congress (PNC), which is accused of using electronics expert and Army Sergeant William Gregory Smith (now deceased) to plant a bomb in a walkie-talkie, a device that was reportedly of interest to the historian. The then electronics expert, who was using the pseudonym Cyril Johnson, was accused of giving Rodney the walkie-talkie (in which the bomb was concealed) to test on Camp Street, Georgetown outside the metal fence of the Georgetown Prison. It exploded on his lap while he was seated in the car driven by his brother Donald. The Guyana Defence Force had denied that Smith was a serving member of the Army until a local paper published his photograph with him dressed in military clothing. Smith, who then fled to French Guiana, said he would have returned to Guyana for a trial or inquiry only if amnesty had been granted. However, France does not extradite persons to their native country where they possibly face the death penalty if convicted. Smith died 10 years ago.
However, the then Forbes Burnham-led PNC, which Rodney had strongly opposed, denied orchestrating the bomb blast. There have been widespread accusations and finger-pointing over the years, thus the call for the Commission of Inquiry.
The CoI was finally set up by President Ramotar on February 25 earlier this year to examine what may have led to the explosion that caused the death of the WPA leader. At the swearing-in, President Ramotar had mentioned that DR Rodney’s widow, Patricia, had approached him, seeking his assistance in setting up the Inquiry. He had hoped too that the findings from the Inquiry would finally give all Guyanese, especially family members, the much-needed closure.
You must be logged in to post a comment.